# Key Technical Discussions from #hplusroadmap Channel

• Participants strongly cautioned against storing biological materials (like Green Gene transformation kits) in food refrigerators, highlighting safety concerns in DIY biohacking practices.

• Several users explored ElmerFEM, an open-source finite element software for physical simulations, documenting challenges with fluid dynamics and heat transfer simulations that could benefit other researchers.

• Detailed discussion of microfluidic technologies included sharing of Whitesides papers showing manual valve control using screws, and techniques for creating hydrophobic surfaces using piranha solution (H₂SO₄ and hydrogen peroxide in 3:1 ratio).

• Participants exchanged technical approaches for microfluidic DNA sequencing, including a mass-based approach that would need to discriminate between nucleotides at the scale of 10⁻²³ grams, with resources documented at heybryan.org.

• Information was shared about Valonia, a giant bubble algae used in voltage-clamp studies with unusual cellular properties, demonstrating the channel's interest in biological systems with unique research applications.

• The group discussed "microbeads display of proteins using emulsion PCR and cell-free protein synthesis," with documentation being added to a wiki and PDF resources shared among participants.

• MIT's "machine invention kit" project was highlighted, featuring concepts like "goo extrusion" that aligned with the channel's interests in novel fabrication technologies.