# Key Points from Transhumanist IRC Discussion (Feb 22, 2014)

• Researchers shared and discussed a scientific paper from Cell journal (DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.01.044), demonstrating the community's focus on collaborative scientific literature review and knowledge sharing.

• The channel featured significant discussion about artificial muscles made from fishing line and sewing thread, referencing a Science paper (DOI: 10.1126/science.1246906) that demonstrated how common polymers could be used to create powerful linear actuators.

• Participants compared the polymer-based artificial muscles to previous experiments with Nitinol (NiTi) wire, noting that while the new approach produced impressive force in a compact and inexpensive form factor, it still had relatively low energy efficiency compared to other actuator technologies.

• The community utilized a "paperbot" system to convert scientific papers to text format and provide alternative access methods through repositories like libgen.org, bypassing publisher paywalls and javascript barriers.

• A research paper on the Polonnaruwa meteorite was shared, examining oxygen isotope composition, crystalline structures, and potential biological components, indicating the group's interest in astrobiology and extraterrestrial research.

• The IRC channel maintained a persistent community focused on "biohacking, nootropics, transhumanism, open hardware" with references to DIY biology resources, demonstrating the early infrastructure of the open-source transhumanist movement.