# Key Points from IRC Discussion

• Researchers discussed water-soluble polymers for microfabrication, with kanzure sharing a paper on water-soluble sacrificial layers and noting that gelatin can be made photo-patternable by adding dichromate, making it behave like negative photo-resist.

• The conversation explored bacterial morphogenesis and cell shape, with kanzure sharing diagrams of bacterial shapes and discussing how shape is not explicitly defined in genes, suggesting that taxonomists may have inadvertently applied selective pressure on specimens.

• Participants debated the feasibility of terraforming Ganymede (Jupiter's moon), noting it has a thin oxygen atmosphere and water ice, though its distance from the sun presents challenges that might require mirror reflection networks.

• There was discussion about developing software for engineering calculations that would make it easier to determine feasibility of machines or scenarios, potentially connecting to finite-element method solvers.

• The group compared efficiency of different power transmission methods, noting that pneumatic systems (at 85% efficiency) are less efficient than mechanical gears and chains (near 100% and 98.5% respectively).

• A sleep-tracking device called "Sleeptracker" was mentioned as having been improved with features to wake users during lighter sleep phases, louder alarms, and the ability to record sleep data.