# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• Participants discussed open science resources, specifically highlighting the Open Science Manifesto (http://open-science.pen.io/) and the Panton Principles as foundational documents for open science principles and practices.

• The Neurophotonics Lab's Simple Living Artificial Brain (SLAB) project was discussed, exploring the potential advantages of using cultured biological neurons over simulated ones for interfacing with virtual environments.

• Researchers examined electric eel organs as biological voltage multipliers (similar to Cockcroft-Walton circuits), with speculation about whether similar structures could exist in humans or be developed through neural plasticity.

• The Methuselah Foundation announced a significant bioengineering challenge with their $1,000,000 New Organ Liver Prize for teams creating solutions allowing large animals to survive 90 days without native liver function.

• Participants explored tongue electrode arrays for sensory substitution, referencing designs from University of Wisconsin's TCNL lab and discussing ENIG (Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold) fabrication techniques.

• The log revealed practical challenges of equipping small biotech spaces, with detailed discussion about sourcing laboratory centrifuges through university surplus (http://surplus.ucsd.edu/Lot.aspx?id=92535) versus negotiating with specialized resellers like Biosurplus.

• Collaborative research tools were shared, including ShareLaTeX's GitHub integration (https://www.sharelatex.com/github/) for document creation and paperbot for retrieving scientific papers from journals like Nature Neuroscience and Science Signaling.