• A paper proposing “A Virtual World Space Agency” was circulated (https://www.academia.edu/2700115/A_Virtual_World_Space_Agency), exploring the idea of a decentralized, simulation-based organization for space exploration and coordination.

• Multiple nanomedicine and drug-delivery advances were highlighted: emulsion droplets as micro-reactors for nanoparticle assembly, branched-polymer nanoemulsion systems, and a dye-assisted paper microfluidic assay for rapid blood typing (http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/9/381/eaaf9209).

• IARPA’s MICrONS project was discussed—$21 M to map 1 mm³ of mouse cortex at synapse-level resolution with optical microscopy, yielding an estimated cost of ~$42 per neuron for the 500 k neurons expected in that volume.

• A Nature paper on bone-derived lipocalin-2 (LCN2) as an MC4R-dependent appetite suppressor (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v543/n7645/full/nature21697.html) sparked interest in expressing LCN2 in E. coli for potential metabolic interventions.

• DIY-bio troubleshooting covered home sterilization of pipette tips (pressure-cooking vs. dry-heat at 121 °C), stability of room-temperature ampicillin stock, and sourcing GFP plasmids after a lux reporter culture was lost at The Odin.

• Epidemiological evidence was shared showing that avoidance of sun exposure correlates with increased all-cause mortality, challenging prevailing dermatological advice (Lindqvist et al., J. Intern. Med. 2014 & 2016).

• A low-cost, high-throughput computational screen of all inorganic compounds was noted, along with broader materials-science posters from the #RSCPoster Twitter session.