# Key Points from IRC Discussions on Transhumanist Technologies

• Researchers discussed developing an open-source DNA synthesis machine (DNAjet) for community labs, debating technical specifications including optimal spot sizes (100 microns), surface tension properties, and assembly methods like Gibson Assembly, Ligase Cycling Reaction, and Cycled Ligation Assembly with Scaffold Oligonucleotide Connectors.

• The DNA synthesis group explored quality control mechanisms such as using GFP expression as a "checksum" where only correctly assembled sequences would produce fluorescence, allowing visual selection of successful constructs, and discussed using fluorophores attached to phosphoramidites for verification.

• Technical challenges of large-scale DNA synthesis were addressed, including managing millions of addressable droplets, temperature control requirements, and the decreasing efficiency of assembly methods as DNA fragment size increases beyond 5-6kb, with an ambitious goal of replacing "30-50% of all plant DNA on the planet with synthetic alternatives."

• Participants debated surface patterning techniques ("wall-less wells") for keeping DNA droplets separate without physical barriers, and explored nanofabrication approaches including Focused Ion Beam (FIB) to create 60nm holes in silicon or potentially smaller holes in metal leaf.

• A researcher from the BEACON Center shared information about their work on evolutionary algorithms, computational biology, and intelligence research including "Markov brains" and integrated information theory, sparking philosophical discussion about whether consciousness and intelligence are fundamentally flawed scientific constructs.

• The community debated the value of open-source hardware development versus using commercial solutions, with some arguing that cost reduction enables wider access while others questioned if the time investment is worthwhile for complex biological equipment.