- A Nature paper (doi:10.1038/nsmb.2629) reports the first in-vitro visualization of the OCCM complex during eukaryotic DNA pre-replication-complex assembly, revealing a right-handed spiral loader mechanism analogous to RFC clamp loaders.

- Participants analyzed the “Eroom’s law” paper (doi:10.1038/nrd3681) that attributes the 80-fold decline in pharma R&D efficiency since 1950 to four factors: the “better-than-the-Beatles” problem, cautious regulators, the “throw-money-at-it” tendency, and the “basic-research–brute-force” bias.

- A proposal was floated to create broad language bindings (Python, JavaScript, Go, Haskell) for BRL-CAD’s open-source NURBS/CSG kernel to replace OpenSCAD, pythonOCC, and FreeCAD-Python, while noting that advanced spline–spline intersection code remains closed-source in Rhino3D.

- GenoCAD (genocad.org) was introduced as an open-source genetic-design automation platform that could integrate with the emerging “genome compiler” ecosystem.

- Gold-nanoparticle conductivity experiments showed 10 nm particles achieve 2.5 × 10⁻² S across 10 Hz–100 kHz via electron tunneling, prompting discussion of using conductive nanoparticle uptake plus external electrodes for targeted cancer-cell ablation.

- A low-cost, high-resolution Littrow-type visible-light spectrometer (R = 7500, 0.07 nm at 525 nm) was detailed; it uses a 1200 lines/mm grating and open-source RSpec software, with parts totaling ~$400, and is documented in four ACS Journal of Chemical Education papers (DOIs 10.1021/ed3002545, 10.1021/ed3002557, 10.1021/ed300256a, 10.1021/ed300396x).

- The arrest of 16-year-old Kiera Wilmot for a minor chemical explosion was cited as emblematic of zero-tolerance policies that deter hands-on science, with concern expressed for a high-school student currently attempting to build a fusion reactor under similarly restrictive conditions.