- Bitcoin’s 6 tx/sec ceiling is being tackled on the bitcoin-dev list through proposals to increase block size and reduce propagation delay, with a December 2015 summary circulated for context.  
- The Murgen open-hardware ultrasound project (fork of echOpen) uses the Microchip HV7360 pulser IC to create pocket-sized imaging devices, aiming to democratize medical diagnostics.  
- A Nature paper (doi:10.1038/nature16066) shows sub-wavelength in-vivo ultrasound resolution by localizing microbubble contrast agents, opening a path toward cellular-scale imaging without ionizing radiation.  
- A DIY microfluidics initiative plans to exploit a Blu-ray laser head for sub-micron photolithography on glass slides, targeting a “stupid-simple” working reactor in 2016.  
- A Tormach desktop mill (±0.0005" tolerance) is being prepared to CNC-machine Roots pumps, micro-reactors, and other scientific hardware for low-cost distribution to hobbyists and labs.  
- Supercritical CO₂ is discussed for solvent-free cannabis extraction, aerogel fabrication, and critical-point drying of biological samples for electron microscopy, highlighting its versatility in open-lab chemistry.  
- A curated neuroengineering reading list was shared, covering soft neural interfaces, optogenetics, DNA methylation in memory, scalable BCIs, and metabolic models of hypothetical “starivore” extraterrestrial organisms.  
- Private steroid forums and Reddit research-chemical threads (e.g., 4-FA self-experiments) were cited as crowdsourced “citizen-science” venues where users systematically test and document hormonal and psychoactive protocols.