# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• Computational constraints for brain emulation were discussed, with participants noting that "mindclones" would likely be economically infeasible as current neural firing simulations take days to process just microseconds of brain activity.

• A significant synthetic biology breakthrough was shared via the paper "Design and synthesis of a minimal bacterial genome," documenting the creation of a cell containing only 473 genes.

• Advanced neuroscience research tools were highlighted, including an "autopatcher" robot for automated whole-cell patch clamp recordings and Expansion Microscopy (ExM) techniques that physically expand polymer networks in cellular samples to make small structures more visible.

• Several cryonics companies were discussed from an Economist article, including Arigos Biomedical (high-pressure vitrification), Tissue Testing Technologies (uniform organ warming), and others developing novel cryoprotectants.

• The Allen Institute's BigNeuron project was mentioned for releasing fruit fly brain image scans to advance connectomics algorithm development for 3D reconstruction of brain-wide wiring networks at single-cell resolution.

• YCombinator biotech startups were reviewed, with particular interest in Opentrons ($3k liquid handler for DIY lab automation), Loop Genomics, and other biotech/industrial automation companies.

• A computer science paper demonstrating that the MOV instruction is Turing-complete was shared, representing an interesting theoretical finding in computational capabilities.