# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

- A synthetic biology lab is being established near Prague by Daniel Georgiev, potentially creating a new DIYbio hub in Eastern Europe, notable for being led by someone with a cybernetics rather than biology background.

- Participants shared advancements in medical diagnostics, including a new malaria detection method using light and magnets, as well as neuroscience research on nanoscopy in living mouse brains and two-photon calcium imaging.

- A philosophical debate explored transhumanism and cognitive enhancement, with particular interest in technologies that might enable conscious control over one's own neurochemistry and thought processes.

- The discussion revealed significant technical and ethical concerns about cryonics, highlighting the challenge of not just information retention but information recovery from preserved remains.

- Specific cryonics failures were discussed, including a case involving Ben Best's use of polyethylene glycol that reportedly "destroyed" a brain, and controversies surrounding Alcor's handling of preserved remains.

- Participants referenced the concept of "shock levels" in futurism (the SL4 framework), which categorizes how people respond to increasingly radical technological possibilities.

- The conversation included mentions of educational resources like nanoengineer-1.net and DNA tutorial videos that could be transferred to YouTube for wider accessibility.