- NASA and the Methuselah Foundation launched the $500 k “Vascular Tissue Challenge” to award the first teams that create metabolically-functional, thick, human vascularized organ tissue in vitro, with details at neworgan.org/vtc-prize.php.  
- Boston’s Festival of Genomics (28–29 June 2016) showcased single-cell whole-transcriptome profiling of human brain stem cells, pooled CRISPR screening, and genome-scale editing with high-diversity libraries.  
- Participants debated the explanatory gap between detailed single-neuron data, canonical cortical microcircuit models, and higher-level cognitive abstractions such as top-down/bottom-up integration.  
- DIY lab hardware hacks included 3-D printing a functional lab-jack and mounting diffraction gratings with screw-in clamps for optical rigs.  
- Google OR-Tools’ 100-line discrete-tomography SAT-solver example and the open-source Python-constraint library were recommended for solving layout and parameter-optimization problems in hardware design.  
- Boston Dynamics’ SpotMini quadruped and Made In Space’s concept of converting asteroids into self-propelled spacecraft were highlighted as emerging robotic and space-manufacturing platforms.  
- Carbon-nanotube fabrication discussion covered coaxial alignment via AFM/STM manipulation, defect “ironing” with catalysts, chirality sorting, and skepticism about scalability for neural-interface applications.  
- Norsam’s micro/nano-fabrication facility (FIB, sputter coaters, plasma cleaners, spin coater) was offered for collaborative projects at ~$375/hr, encouraging hybrid MEMS-plus-self-assembly strategies for next-gen neural interfaces.  
- The Brain Forum 2016 at EPFL Lausanne, attended by ~1,400 people, featured Mu-ming Poo on China’s Brain Science Project and Christof Koch of the Allen Brain Institute, with the Kavli Foundation noted as a major funder of large-scale brain initiatives.