- A Nature Biotechnology paper (nbt.2171) demonstrated single-nucleotide-resolution DNA sequencing using a mutant MspA nanopore coupled to phi29 DNA polymerase, with full PDF and supplementary data circulated as key open-access resources.

- Participants explored “genetically evolved semiconductors,” a process in which metal-binding peptides expressed from evolved genes template semiconductor structures, and linked a Materials Today podcast interview explaining the concept.

- A DIY laser-etching CNC project is being built around a 405 nm, 1 W S06J diode and Sinometer HY3005D bench supply to etch thin silicone layers for microfluidics or bio-MEMS; the group debated repurposing Blu-ray optics versus standalone diodes and the heat-sinking needed for continuous-wave operation.

- WebGL and browser GPU access were flagged as potential attack vectors for GPU-compute botnets and in-browser password cracking, raising security concerns for distributed computing.

- DNA Nexus was discussed as a representative cloud platform for next-generation sequencing (NGS) data processing, with the observation that most NGS alignment workloads have migrated from local clusters to the cloud.

- An off-beat longevity experiment was proposed in which feeding wolf spiders a specific diet might yield “considerable life extension,” framed as an unconventional biohacking angle.

- The Open Hardware Summit was reported sold-out; jmil was scheduled to speak, and the group encouraged walk-in attendance plus transcript capture to preserve the content for the wider open-hardware community.