# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• Participants criticized the Human Brain Project's funding allocation, noting it will receive more money than all federal grants awarded to Berkeley and MIT combined, raising questions about resource concentration in scientific research.

• The group discussed mathematical notation reform, debating whether notation should be optimized for learnability or utility, with some arguing that current systems evolved to exclude rather than facilitate understanding.

• Open-source theorem provers like Microsoft's Z3 and Coq were discussed as tools that could democratize mathematical verification and improve accessibility to formal mathematics.

• Detailed technical conversations covered automated rodent housing systems for research facilities, exploring air flow separation methods, RFID tagging, and waste management solutions that minimize moving parts while maintaining animal welfare.

• A DNA synthesis machine using inkjet-style printing technology was described, which deposits reagents to create oligonucleotides with millions of growing molecules attached to microparticles to prevent loss during washing steps.

• The group explored terraforming concepts for both Mars (using extremophile bacteria in specific regions like Valles Marineris) and Earth (including Cambrian Genomics' ambitious goal to replace 40-60% of plant life with genetically enhanced alternatives).

• Challenges in developing open-source CAD software were examined, particularly the complexity of implementing features like fillets and constraint solving, with references to existing tools like OpenCascade, Verbnurbs, and Solvespace.