- A Nature paper demonstrates that inserting a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) into the TRAC locus of T-cells via CRISPR/Cas9 yields superior tumor rejection compared to random integration, highlighting precision gene-editing in immunotherapy.  
- Open-source hardware for DIY biology: schematics and PNGs for a 2 kV, 67 mA electroporator (30 kΩ load) were shared, including coil-driven HV pulse-shaping and TTL control circuits for transient cell permeabilization.  
- Participants curated low-cost lab instrumentation: a $30 Leader LBO-51MA oscilloscope, a Keithley 602 electrometer for pico-amp x-ray detection, and reverse-engineering notes for an RS-232 spectrometer.  
- Label-free cell-viability monitoring was proposed using Raman micro-spectroscopy to distinguish apoptotic from necrotic states without fluorescent dyes.  
- Flow-cytometry hacks discussed sheath-fluid focusing for single-cell streams and an OpenCV-based yeast-counting project for beer fermentation monitoring.  
- A literature archive at diyhpl.us collected five recent papers on Golden Gate, IVA, and in-vivo recombination methods for streamlined DNA assembly in synthetic biology.  
- Polygenic-score speculation: selecting common alleles at 5 k education SNPs could yield +2 SD cognitive gain, while 1.3 M intelligence SNPs might reach +73 SD, prompting discussion of “maximal” synthesized genomes.  
- Addgene’s upcoming AAV service will distribute ready-to-use viral vectors for optogenetic and CRISPR constructs, lowering barriers for neuroengineering experiments.  
- The Murgen open-source ultrasound-imaging project posted new hardware photos on Hackaday.io, advancing low-cost medical imaging for makers.