• Robin Hanson’s new essay “Unauthorized Topics” argues that decentralized ecosystems of human-derived brain emulations deserve far more research attention; Vitalik Buterin amplified the post on Twitter, sparking channel discussion.

• A Google spreadsheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BD9H9DfQBJx_a4XiDkL6AKetvqO1Sk7zneAVD5kk39E/edit) now tracks BOM and costs for an open-source ultrasound scanner inspired by Mobisante’s smartphone/tablet probes, aiming to replicate the $2 k–$3 k commercial devices for under $500.

• Participants compared DIY optical clearing protocols for whole-brain imaging: TDE (2,2-thiodiethanol) is highlighted as a patent-free, low-cost substitute for FocusClear™; organic solvents (BABB, iDISCO) quench fluorescence and shrink tissue; water-based agents (Scale, SeeDB, CUBIC) take weeks but preserve labels; CLARITY causes ~16 % linear expansion and still needs refractive-index matching.

• A novel non-mechanical sectioning idea was proposed: a gas or acid spray that liquefies only a few nanometres of tissue at a time, then washes the layer away, potentially preserving micro-anatomy better than blades or lasers.

• Cost models for high-throughput connectomics were shared: multi-beam SEM could push a whole-mouse-brain EM connectome below $100 M; optical bar-coding plus in-situ sequencing (FISSEQ-BOINC) might reach $10 M; bulk DNA “Rosetta Brain” sequencing could drop a cortical connectome to $10 k–$100 k, with a $1 k target if sequencing costs keep falling (Conneconomics pre-print and arXiv:1404.5103).

• NIH project 1R01MH103910-01 is exploring “recording neural activities onto DNA,” extending earlier Halcyon-Molecular work on stretching DNA across water droplets (PLOS ONE 2013).

• Channel members circulated safety and interpretability resources: “Concrete Problems in AI Safety” (arXiv:1606.06565) and Marblestone et al.’s “Towards an integration of deep learning and neuroscience” (bioRxiv 2016).

• Practical build notes included 3-D-printable kinematic mounts and modular hose fixtures for home spectrometers, PET or metal centrifuge vials to avoid plastic creep, and 70 % sorbitol as an additional optical clearing medium.