- Noopept (10–30 mg) produced only modest “fluid thinking” gains in self-experiments, with participants concluding classical stimulants remain more effective for cognitive enhancement.  
- Conway’s Game of Life was re-examined as a substrate for mind-uploading; its Turing-completeness was defended against claims that its simplicity precludes conscious observers.  
- An Indiegogo campaign offering “learn-by-doing” DIY CRISPR kits sparked debate on home gene editing, gene doping, and extending the practice to animals.  
- OpenTrons’ $3 k open-source pipetting robot was compared to commercial lab automation, highlighting falling price points for accessible bio-lab gear.  
- A long discussion compared intermittent fasting versus high-carb diets, citing metabolic effects, mental clarity, genetic variability (Okinawan diet), and the two-month adaptation hurdle.  
- Bitcoin governance turmoil after Mike Hearn’s “rage-quit” post led to technical summaries of Segregated Witness (moving authorization data out of blocks) and critiques of Core’s lack of formal PR or communications structure.  
- Microfluidics manufacturing insight: laser-written square channels require higher cumulative dose than parabolic ones, showing that G-code must encode process parameters beyond geometry.  
- Failed attempts to create green-fluorescent yogurt at home and the practicality of gene guns were discussed alongside links to a new Science paper on “cyborg photosynthetic bacteria” and ongoing CRISPR discovery-credit disputes.