- Cotranscriptional RNA folding: heath shared two Nature/Science papers on riboswitches and single-stranded RNA nanostructures that fold while being transcribed, plus a French video lecture on the “oritatami” technique for molecular computation and shape assembly.  
- DIYbio regulatory debate: CaptHindsight linked a Gizmodo article on the FDA cracking down on “basement biohackers,” prompting discussion on whether DIY practitioners should simply stop advertising products as food additives or therapies, and whether regulation is being weaponized against open science.  
- Silk bioproduction brainstorm: participants weighed resurrecting the BioSteel program—transgenic goats (or cows) that secrete spider-silk proteins in milk—and debated practical hurdles such as protein alignment, wet-spinning at 330 °C, and the logistics of using lighter goats versus heavier cows.  
- Off-grid biohacking idea: nmz787 floated the concept of “off-grid bio” (analogous to un-zoned West Texas homesteading) as a way to continue open research while sidestepping regulatory scrutiny.  
- Factorio as hardware-design playground: kanzure and jrayhawk exchanged links to 8-bit ALUs, memory arrays, and even a sandstorm-driven video display built inside the game, with fenn noting an interactive Factorio tech-tree visualization whose code might be reusable.