- A PLOS Computational Biology paper on “Multi-scale approaches for high-speed imaging and analysis of large neural populations” was circulated, highlighting combined calcium-imaging and multi-modal techniques for whole-brain activity mapping.  
- Participants debated gene-therapy economics, noting current $100 k-per-treatment price tags at Bluebird, BioMarin, Sangamo and GenSight, and argued the field needs cost-reduction rather than new business models, citing BioViva as a lower-cost alternative.  
- An arXiv preprint proposing “Exoplanet transits as the foundation of an interstellar communications network” was shared, suggesting modulating stellar transits to create a galaxy-wide beacon system.  
- Charter drafting for the HGP-Write workgroup emphasized open-access publication requirements, budget allocation between R-&-D and production goals, and the need to fund genome-streamlining research (e.g., deleting ALU repeats) rather than mere DNA copying.  
- A technical thread explored whether ultra-low-cost, high-error-rate DNA synthesis (≈20 % errors) could yield viable organisms; ideas included iterative selection of error-tolerant proteins, plasmid-based mutagenesis, and massive parallel cell cultures, but were deemed infeasible without redesigning the biological decoding system.  
- A Science paper reporting CRISPR-Cas9 inactivation of porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) in pigs was highlighted as a major step toward safe xenotransplantation, with links archived to the DIYH+ wiki.  
- A handheld smartphone spectral analyzer developed at UIUC was noted as an open-path diagnostic tool.  
- danfox published a “Freedom of Form” roadmap on PubPub outlining plans for open-source genetic self-modification platforms; readability feedback was mixed.