- A debate arose about the feasibility of targeting memory-consolidation neurons with viral vectors or stereotaxic surgery; one view is that the physical path through brain tissue is too destructive, while another argues the objection is weak.  
- A 2015 paper titled “Upgrading the sleeping brain with targeted memory reactivation” was circulated, along with a 2014 study on the mirror-tracing task and dream recall, highlighting efforts to manipulate memory during sleep.  
- The 40,000-generation E. coli long-term evolution experiment and the new “mega-plate” 4-foot-square petri-dish video were discussed as contrasting methods for observing bacterial evolution in real time.  
- MIT’s Spring 2013 “Nanomaker” OCW video series was recommended as an open resource for nanofabrication techniques.  
- pstoedit was praised as a versatile open-source tool that converts PostScript files directly into G-code, streamlining workflows from design to CNC machining.  
- A trove of recent memory-prosthesis literature was shared, including Berger’s closed-loop hippocampal stimulation in primates, sparse Volterra models of CA3-CA1 dynamics, and histologic correlates of exceptional memory in aged humans.  
- Clinical precedents for memory enhancement via deep-brain stimulation were noted: hypothalamic/fornix DBS that evoked vivid autobiographical recall and entorhinal DBS that improved spatial memory in epilepsy patients.  
- The “Bored George Church” Twitter account was mined for tongue-in-cheek synthetic-biology concepts, such as garden-gnome DNA sequencers, gene-regulated beard length, and de-extinction zoos funding conservation.  
- Sci-Hub mirrors (vk.com/sci_hub and sci-hub.cc) were offered as reliable alternatives when the main .la domain is down, ensuring continued access to paywalled research.