- nmz787 is validating the open-source “openSpectrometer” v0.2 boards; the design couples a CCD/ADC microcontroller to a diffraction-grating-based Fourier-transform optical path, and he plans to physically isolate the optical section to reduce noise, with deuterium flashbulbs from China under consideration as a UV source.

- kanzure proposed a photon-addressable DNA-synthesis scheme that uses four distinct light frequencies to convert a pre-formed polymer chain into the four nucleotide equivalents in a single step, eliminating the traditional iterative capping, de-capping, and washing cycles.

- Participants discussed building an open, comprehensive reaction-mechanism database for retrosynthetic analysis, referencing the Graph Grammar Library (GGL) and MIT’s RMG kinetics rules database, while also pointing to large public datasets such as Rhea (>100 k enzyme-catalyzed reactions) and SPRESI (3.9 M reactions from 645 k literature sources).

- DIY biology hardware hacks shared include pressure-cooker autoclaves, €9 Aldi bunsen burners, sub-$20 Chinese digital scales validated against lab-grade units, a home-built 254 nm UV source, and ultra-low-cost thermocyclers being developed for HIV diagnostics in Mozambique.

- Light-controlled DNA synthesis alternatives explored: photo-isomerizable protecting groups, wavelength-specific photolabile chemistries, and engineering Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase (TdT) with photocaged nucleotides to achieve single-base addition without cap/decap chemistry, with key literature including “Photoelectromechanical synthesis of low-cost DNA microarrays” and “Photoremovable protecting groups in chemistry and biology.”

- The Russian Geometric Kernel (RGK) project—a $20 M government initiative to create an independent 3-D CAD kernel—was highlighted, noting how post-USSR economic collapse led Western firms like Dassault and Intel to outsource core CAD mathematics to Russian mathematicians, whose work now underpins CATIA V5/V6.

- Additional resources shared: a Swift-based Flappy Bird clone built in two days, petertodd/timelock on GitHub for serial-computation-bound secret release, a $500 Newport triple-axis XY stage, and PDMS microfluidic screw-valves cast around metal screws (PMC3065121).