- A Frontiers paper on brain-machine interfaces triggered debate over whether whole-brain emulation is possible without strong AI, with participants arguing that simulation can still be scientifically useful even absent full “understanding.”  
- Columbia’s Samuel Sia group showcased a smartphone-linked finger-prick assay that yields 15-minute diagnostic results; the lab page and press coverage were circulated.  
- “City-scale metagenomics” work mapping bacterial and human DNA across urban surfaces was shared, including an interactive web map and the open-access Cell Systems paper.  
- Microfluidic fabrication techniques were discussed in depth: MEMS gas-chromatography columns (6 m long, 100 µm features), electron-beam-induced silicon-oxide nanochannels, and curved-channel mixing effects, with links to PDFs and PubMed entries.  
- OSVehicle’s weather-proof “Nika” connected-car platform was highlighted as a new open-source vehicle option, with speculation on U.S. market adoption.  
- A Reddit thread on DIY testosterone synthesis and a NEJM paper showing ~7 lb muscle gain from supraphysiologic testosterone without exercise (vs ~4 lb with exercise) sparked debate on safety, physician-prescribed “low-T” therapy, and anecdotal “roid-rage.”  
- Participants shared practical tactics for obtaining testosterone prescriptions, including presenting with depression, low energy, and low libido, and manipulating blood-test timing via sleep or fasting.  
- Historical context was provided on Soviet and Eastern Bloc testosterone programs in the 1940s and the U.S. response with methandrostenolone (Dianabol).  
- NASA’s rHEALTH sensor and Miroculus’s microfluidic blood-test platforms were presented as additional examples of portable lab-on-a-chip diagnostics.  
- The Millennial Project (Marshall Savage) revival effort at tmp2.wikia.com and Joseph Jackson’s bodybuilding/powerlifting video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmTNtSs1UQY) were noted as ongoing cultural touchstones in the transhumanist community.