• 5-D quartz-glass optical data storage announced by University of Southampton offers 360 TB per disc, withstands 1000 °C, and is projected to last 13.8 billion years—proposed as a civilizational knowledge archive.  
• Commercial CRISPR editing of induced-pluripotent stem cells is now available on ScienceExchange with 3–9-month turnaround and a 10 % discount through March 29 2016, signaling turnkey precision genome engineering services.  
• ScienceExchange is also being used as an open marketplace to contract whole-genome sequencing of yeast and other organisms, demonstrating the growing accessibility of outsourced molecular biology.  
• BodyHackingCon in Austin is receiving heavy local-radio promotion by organizer Dustin, prompting community members to consider side-meetings rather than formal attendance.