• A polymer-based, pressure-tunable planar microlens array (40–60 µm apertures, 100–400 µm focal length, NA ≈ 0.3) and its ink-jet-printed hybrid counterpart were presented as low-cost, high-NA optics for lab-on-chip and adaptive-optics applications.

• Maskless photolithography architectures were compared in detail: Blu-ray laser direct-write offers continuous, alias-free channels and doubles as a laser cutter, while DMD (micromirror) projectors enable massively parallel patterning—both approaches were shown to be retrofittable to <$1 k microscope-UV-LED rigs for microfluidics, microelectronics, and DNA synthesis.

• Valveless, light-directed microfluidic DNA synthesis was outlined: a DMD or LCD spatial-light modulator photogenerates acid to deprotect 5’-DMT groups on a glass surface, feeding directly into an Applied Biosystems Expedite 8909 synthesizer’s valve train to produce millions of distinct oligos without on-chip valves; water-resistant NBS-DMT chemistries mitigate moisture issues.

• Roche’s $350 M acquisition of Genia Technologies spotlighted nanopore sequencing-by-synthesis that combines α-hemolysin pores with phi29 polymerase ratcheting, achieving single-nucleotide resolution at 2.5–40 nt/s with real-time electrical detection, while openFDA’s new RESTful APIs were announced for open pharmacovigilance research.

• Forward’s 1984 concept for a 500 km-radius Fresnel lens at 15 AU to deliver a diffraction-limited 1 µm beam across light-years for laser-pushed light-sails was revisited, alongside NASA’s “Orbiting Rainbows” proposal for kilometer-scale space telescopes made from optically trapped viral capsids or DNA-origami microspheres.

• Aging research discussion highlighted indigestible protein aggregates (lipofuscin, stress-granule solids) as a damage class beyond nuclear and mitochondrial DNA lesions, with antibody-targeted extraction proposed but membrane toxicity and aggregate stability still unsolved.

• A reported protocol to reprogram male somatic cells into functional oocytes was linked, prompting debate on whether epigenetic marks and stress signatures would still propagate, and whether “pristine” fetal-like cells could serve as adult grafts given only six immunological acceptance factors (two MHC molecules).

• Historical retrospectives covered Marvin Caruthers’ 1981 founding of Applied Biosystems with a $3 M seed round and plywood-based 380A DNA synthesizer, and the 63 GB Hacker News dataset posted to Archive.org for open text-mining and trend analysis.