- DNA-tunneling nanopore sequencing: A 2010 Nature Nanotechnology paper (doi:10.1038/nnano.2010.42) showed single-nucleotide discrimination via tunneling current across a thin electrode embedded in a nanopore; participants compared its feasibility to STM-style break-junction approaches and debated whether FIB-milled pores in SiN or SiO₂ could be replicated in a home lab.

- Open-hardware SEM/FIB control: Discussion referenced a home-built STM project (dberard.com/home-built-stm) whose ±10 V analog front-end and PA443DF high-voltage amplifiers could be repurposed to drive electrostatic beam-deflection plates in a DIY focused-ion-beam system.

- Cost-of-science debate: A Twitter exchange highlighted the $35 B annual spend on lab equipment and asked whether 10× cheaper instruments would yield 10× more science, with the conjecture that democratizing biotech tools could produce super-linear returns.

- WADA’s 2018 gene-editing ban: The World Anti-Doping Agency’s new prohibited list explicitly bans “polymers of nucleic acids, gene-editing agents, and normal or genetically modified cells,” prompting sarcastic remarks that “the use of normal cells is prohibited” and speculation on loopholes for “inhibitory” enhancements.

- Biohacker milestones: Boston Open Science Lab (@BosLabMA) posted video of newly engineered bioluminescent E. coli created on a community benchtop, illustrating the spread of practical synthetic-biology capability outside traditional institutions.

- Transhumanist culture notes: Blade Runner 2049 was praised for visual execution but critiqued for muddled philosophy on “real vs. artificial” life; participants joked that replicants failed to mention self-replicating software as a counter-example.

- Reagent and sensor links: Shared resources included locked-nucleic-acid labeling patents (US8293684), saliva-based biosensor reviews (doi:10.1155/2014/962903), and nucleic-acid detection strategies for biowarfare agents (citeseerx PDF), all framed as open-source fodder for citizen scientists.