- Sam Zeloof’s “Home Chip Fab” presentation (linked via goo.gl/e5H9sd) shows a DIY semiconductor fabrication setup capable of ~1970-era 1.5 µm process nodes; participants note that such large geometries are still useful for analog circuits, sensors with large pixels, and obsolete-IC replacement.  
- Discussion of DIY lithography suggests that combining an inverted microscope with a DLP projector may push resolution beyond classic 1970s capabilities while remaining accessible to hobbyists.  
- A 1952 Scientific American advertisement for an early mass spectrometer was shared, illustrating the historical trajectory of analytical instrumentation.  
- Links to hardware-security resources: Duo Labs’ guide on invasive microcontroller firmware recovery and Chris Gerlinsky’s 2016 REcon talk on reverse-engineering satellite/cable pay-TV systems.  
- MIT Technology Review article circulated arguing that CRISPR does not necessarily introduce hundreds of off-target mutations, challenging earlier alarming reports.  
- iGEM 2017 project highlights curated by kanzure include:  
  – Nanjing University: exosome-packaged siRNA to trigger targeted apoptosis in white adipose tissue.  
  – Oxford: two Chagas-disease diagnostics—(i) cell-free DNA circuit with TetR repressor detecting cruzipain protease, (ii) OMV-based protein circuit using SpyTag/SpyCatcher and split-protease signal amplification.  
  – Potsdam: spatial organization of metabolic pathways via dCas9-aptamer scaffolds on DNA origami to increase local reagent concentration.  
  – Purdue: engineering the human lung microbiome to enzymatically degrade inhaled carcinogens.  
  – Sydney Australia: open-source “Winsulin” single-chain insulin expressed in E. coli and B. subtilis for low-cost insulin production.  
- Debate on chemistry pedagogy: adlai proposed allowing students to submit organic-chemistry exam answers in plain ASCII instead of standard drawing tools, provided the notation is explicitly declared; kanzure countered with the merits of structured formats like SMILES.