• Gen9 announced the “G-Prize” competition, offering up to 500 custom 500–1,024 bp GeneBits™ DNA constructs to researchers who propose “revolutionary” synthetic-biology projects, spotlighting their BioFab® high-throughput gene-synthesis platform.  
• Stanford’s Covert Lab released the first open-source “whole-cell” computational model of Mycoplasma genitalium (28 cellular subsystems, MATLAB code at wholecell.stanford.edu), prompting debate on whether the model is scientifically transformative or merely incremental.  
• Stacey K published an open-source Arduino PCR thermal-cycler design (OpenPCR build 2, “Wiremound-PCR”) on Instructables and mirrored the firmware to GitHub (kanzure/wiremound-pcr) and diyhpl.us/cgit for long-term availability.  
• Discussion of neural-reconstruction workflows highlighted the lack of open-source software for stitching serial EM sections into 3-D neuron models, with suggestions to use synthetic datasets (Netmorph) and high-resolution 3-D-printed scaffolds as ground-truth test objects.  
• Channel members criticized the stagnation of the DIYbio FAQ on OpenWetWare (copied from heybryan.org in 2009) and proposed migrating it to diyhpl.us/wiki to lower access barriers and encourage active curation.  
• A vendor offered a Rad54 antibody at a “discounted” price of $1,999 per 100 µg (regular $2,890), sparking discussion of the antibody industry’s ~$20,000/mg pricing, patent protection, and the risk of counterfeit or low-quality antibodies.  
• Participants brainstormed household nutrients for DIY algae cultivation—compost extract, Miracle-Gro, CO₂ bubbling—while cautioning against large ammonium-nitrate purchases that attract unwanted attention.  
• Mental-health experimentation links included George Eby’s magnesium-focused depression protocol (george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html) and Krispin’s micronutrient guide (krispin.com), alongside debate on amphetamines, LSD, and nutrient vs. drug distinctions for mood disorders.  
• Technical troubleshooting covered automating web logins with Python/Flask-SQLAlchemy, handling 302 redirects, persisting cookies, and the recommendation to use python-requests or pyphantomjs (github.com/kanzure/pyphantomjs) for robust scraping.  
• daeken’s Onity hotel-lock hack was spotlighted via BBC coverage (bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18968225) and supporting white-papers (demoseen.com/bhtalk2.pdf, demoseen.com/bhpaper.html), showcasing open disclosure of critical IoT vulnerabilities.