- A Hackaday post shared in-channel showcased a DIY “mind-controlling cockroach” project that couples a cheap microcontroller to the insect’s antenna nerves, illustrating the community’s ongoing interest in low-cost neuro-hacking experiments.  
- delinquentme linked to a Technology Review article claiming observation of room-temperature superconductivity in graphite interfaces, sparking brief discussion about reproducibility and potential impact on cryo-free quantum or bio-electronic devices.  
- Participants debated the practicality of optogenetics versus transcranial ultrasound for human brain stimulation, with one member arguing that optogenetics’ need for viral gene delivery and cranial windows makes it far less viable than non-invasive ultrasound despite its superior spatial resolution.  
- Stemgent’s commercial reprogramming systems were examined; the company supplies mRNA encoding cardiac transcription factors (Gata4, Mef2c, Tbx5) that can directly convert fibroblasts to cardiomyocytes, highlighting turnkey tools now available to DIYbio labs.  
- nmz787 circulated a UC San Diego press release and Science paper showing that neural stem-cell grafts can regenerate severed spinal-cord axons in rodents, underscoring regenerative medicine advances relevant to transhumanist longevity goals.  
- A Science magazine article titled “Building Research Equipment with Free, Open-Source Hardware” was noted (pay-walled), accompanied by a Phys.org story featuring a 3-D-printed lab jack, reinforcing the channel’s push for open lab instrumentation.  
- Extensive discussion of Aaron Swartz’s expanded JSTOR indictment revealed that ~4.85 million PDFs were copied, legal pressure had reached 35+ years potential sentencing, and several DIYbio-affiliated figures (Alec Resnick, Quinn Norton) were implicated in the forensic evidence.  
- kanzure posted the “Guerrilla Open Access Manifesto” excerpt, framing Swartz’s actions as ideological warfare against pay-walled scientific literature and aligning the case with broader open-science activism.  
- Channel members exchanged practical advice on cloud backups (AWS S3, tarsnap, Dropbox) and auto-shop tips (layered nitrile gloves, RTV sealant), blending transhumanist experimentation with everyday hacking culture.