# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• Researchers at FabLab/Open Wetlab in Amsterdam are advancing microfluidics technology with extremely thin PCB traces, aiming to reduce pixel size to less than 1 mm², demonstrating progress in miniaturization for biological applications.

• A participant acquired a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with Nanometer Pattern Generation System (NPGS) capabilities for electron beam lithography, enabling high-resolution nanoscale patterning at speeds up to 5 MHz, with discussion of using trimethyl(methylcyclopentadienyl)platinum(IV) as a precursor for platinum deposition.

• The group discussed University of Pittsburgh research where dogs were successfully placed in suspended animation and revived after three hours of clinical death, referencing literature on mammalian resuscitation from below-freezing body temperatures.

• Participants debated the feasibility of using selective breeding to create animals with brains more amenable to recording/stimulation methods, with evidence shared that human-chimpanzee brain differences result from variation in just a few hundred genes, suggesting targeted genetic modifications could potentially alter neural architecture.

• Multiple studies on artificial selection in mice were shared, demonstrating successful breeding for specific behavioral traits including increased locomotor activity, voluntary wheel-running, and maternal defense behavior, providing evidence for directed evolution of complex traits.

• The discussion highlighted species differences in myostatin null mutations, with cattle showing only 20-25% muscle mass increase compared to 200-300% in mice, potentially due to generations of selective breeding in cattle that may have already approached physiological limits.

• Innovative biotechnologies were mentioned, including Proterro's work using bacteria to produce sugar at rates claimed to be 30 times more efficient per acre than conventional agriculture, and Microsoft Research's real-time hand tracking technology operating at 30Hz using a novel "FINGERPAINT" dataset.