- A Nature Scientific Reports paper (doi:10.1038/srep00501) presents “Single-Molecule Electrical Random Resequencing of DNA and RNA” using mechanically-controlled break junctions (MCBJs) with 0.8 nm gold nanogaps; bases are read via their distinct tunneling-current signatures at 0.8 ms dwell time under 0.4 V DC bias, and raw data from Quantum Biosystems (co-founded by “bunnie” Huang) is released under CC-BY-NC 3.0.

- Fabrication details for the MCBJ device were discussed: electron-beam lithography and lift-off pattern a gold nanobridge on polyimide, followed by CF₄/O₂ RIE under-etching and controlled mechanical breaking in a three-point-bend jig while monitoring conductance with a picoammeter and series resistor to prevent electromigration.

- Back-of-the-envelope scaling suggests 2 billion 18-mer human-genome fragments could be sequenced in ~23 days on a single channel, but massive parallelization is feasible because 0.8 nm junctions can be arrayed on-chip or replicated in macro-scale MCBJ modules, offering an alternative to fragile protein pores or porous-silicon filters.

- A Science paper (doi:10.1126/science.1240284) describes the first biological gears—intermeshing cogs on the legs of juvenile planthoppers (Issus coleoptratus) that synchronize jumping and disappear in adulthood, possibly because molting can no longer replace broken teeth—complemented by a Popular Mechanics note on a zinc-tipped ovipositor in parasitic fig wasps.

- A three-part EDN design-note series on femtoampere-level circuits was shared as practical background for ultra-low-current measurements like those required in the MCBJ sequencer.

- A Springer chapter (doi:10.1007/978-3-642-31912-9_16) and its open-source GitHub repository (mattmoses/MJMCS) present “An Architecture for Universal Construction via Modular Robotic Components,” a Lego-like system capable of self-replication and self-assembly, though current error rates still require human assistance.

- Participants lamented that most robotics funding is being diverted to “human co-robots,” slowing progress on universal-construction robotics.

- A design was proposed to improve the open-source paperbot tool by replacing hard-coded proxy URLs with a local HTTP proxy (e.g., localhost:84841) that cycles through multiple EZproxy endpoints and signals success/failure via custom HTTP headers; mitmproxy/libmproxy was recommended as the implementation base.

- A GrabCAD link to a “shock-free high-speed intermittent gearing” CAD model was shared as potentially useful for precision mechanical designs in future robotic systems, alongside a historical nod to Project Habakkuk (WWII pykrete aircraft carrier concept) as an example of mining obscure engineering precedents for inspiration.