# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Log (Dec 13, 2010)

* Discussion of "serious games" for scientific research, with participants mentioning FoldIt, GalaxyZoo, Phylo, and a coronal mass ejection identifying game as examples of gamified citizen science platforms.

* Participants shared and discussed a recent Nature paper about telomere manipulation in mice, with detailed critique that the research merely reversed artificially-induced aging rather than extending normal lifespan, noting "this sounds like an incredibly silly 'discovery'. Build a car without wheels. You can't drive it anywhere. Put the wheels on. Look! A miracle!"

* A researcher (jmil) mentioned working on 3D tissue printing using modified Makerbot and Mendel 3D printers to create high-density cellularized tissues with vascularization, though specific details were withheld pending publication.

* Discussion about the limitations of academic publishing, with researchers noting the tension between rapid sharing of scientific discoveries and the need for peer-reviewed publication for career advancement.

* Participants shared resources on construction technology, including Contour Crafting (www.contourcrafting.org) for automated construction and N55 (n55.dk), a Danish art/design collective creating sustainable living structures.

* Brief discussion about DNA synthesis technologies, with participants noting that solid phase oligonucleotide synthesis remains the predominant method despite advances in DNA sequencing technology.