# Summary of #hplusroadmap IRC Log (July 14, 2011)

• A discussion about GenSpace (a community biology lab) noted they had multiple copies of "The Singularity is Near" on their shelves but reportedly "play dumb about transhumanist topics," suggesting a disconnect between transhumanist literature and practical biohacking communities.

• Participants discussed DNA synthesis costs as a major barrier to research, with one user sharing a paper demonstrating $1/kbp synthesis costs, but noting that even at this rate, synthesizing megabase sequences would cost thousands of dollars.

• A technical debate occurred about gene synthesis approaches, contrasting assembly-based methods (which allow for error checking of intermediate products) versus hypothetical long-strand synthesis, with discussion of error rates and the challenges of PCR for sequences over 5kb.

• A link was shared to an unusual anatomical image showing children's skulls with both baby and adult teeth: http://twentytwowords.com/2011/06/16/what-childrens-skulls-look-like-as-they-prepare-to-lose-their-baby-teeth/

• A brief philosophical exchange questioned the nature of consciousness, with one participant calling it "a scam" and referencing the concept of "sense of agency," suggesting skepticism about how researchers determine such phenomena are real.

• Participants mentioned specific individuals (Rikke Rasmussen and Rolf van Widenfelt) who were working on biology projects at Noisebridge (a hackerspace), with one being described as "ex-SGI/SIGGRAPH."