- Peter Rothman is seeking collaborators for a follow-up open-science biohacking project after completing a self-experiment–based thymus-regeneration trial.  
- MAPseq, a high-throughput connectomics technique that sequences barcoded RNA to map single-neuron projections across the entire brain, was spotlighted alongside the 2016 Cell paper and the Marblestone/Church/Boyden “Rosetta brains” strategy.  
- A curated reading list of ~10 foundational neurotech papers was shared, covering scalable neural recording, fluorescent connectomic barcoding, whole-organ clearing, FISSEQ in-situ sequencing, and CRISPR-based molecular recorders.  
- Molecular Assemblies’ newly issued patent US 9,279,149 on enzymatic, template-free oligonucleotide synthesis using natural 3′-OH nucleotide analogs sparked debate over whether it represents a genuine technical advance or a strategic IP land-grab.  
- Kanzure’s dormant “paperbot” (IRC bot that fetches paywalled PDFs via Zotero/ezproxy and uploads to Sci-Hub) may be revived via Dockerization and Sci-Hub-first retrieval to lower access barriers for other channels.  
- nmz787_ showcased GitHub’s STL diff view for mechanical-design collaboration on a Python-BRL-CAD-TCL project introducing “connection points” for modular 3-D bio-hardware.  
- A lightning-terminator DNA-synthesis start-up reportedly declined to collaborate on an open DNA-synthesis effort, highlighting ongoing tension between closed commercial and open-source communities.  
- Lasergen’s “Lightning Terminators™” photocleavable terminator chemistry was discussed for DNA-sequencing applications, though participants expressed skepticism about its practical advantages.