# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• Participants challenged common oversimplifications about dopamine, noting it's "pervasive throughout the nervous system" and "especially present in gut neurons," rather than simply being a pleasure neurotransmitter.

• DIY biology projects were discussed, including work with cannabigerolic acid synthase (an unsequenced enzyme with potential as a mosquito larvicide and anti-malarial compound) and mentions of community members acquiring protein sequencers and PCR machines from eBay.

• The H+ Summit featured presentations from Aubrey de Grey on longevity, Mark Hatch from TechShop, and others, with Bryan Bishop's talk on DIY transhumanism receiving particular praise for its organization and slide design compared to other speakers.

• Ray Kurzweil's presentation was criticized by some participants as repetitive ("same old same old") and for expressing concerns about DIY biology's biosecurity implications.

• Research on "Directed evolution of a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent for noninvasive imaging of dopamine" was shared, demonstrating interest in advanced brain monitoring technologies.

• Participants debated the relevance of philosophical and ethical discussions to transhumanist technological development, with some skeptical of traditional philosophy while others defended ethics' importance in guiding technology creation.

• Technical discussions included OCR limitations for document digitization, innovative approaches to deriving 3D coordinates from video compression, and the potential of neural networks for image processing tasks.

• Information about hackerspaces and DIY biology communities was shared, including typical membership costs ($15-30/month), space sizes (3600-6500 sq ft), and demographics (approximately 70% college students or graduates).