# Summary of ##hplusroadmap IRC Log (May 21, 2016)

* kanzure shared research on the Fermi paradox and Drake equation, noting that Anders Sandberg's work suggests potential clustering of civilizations rather than uniform distribution, with implications for understanding the spatial distribution of intelligent life in the universe.

* A paper on "The Evolution of General Intelligence" was discussed, which suggests that general intelligence (ability to recognize previously unseen examples) increases with neural connectivity up to a point, and continues to develop with prolonged evolution even when performance on known examples plateaus.

* Research on the evolutionary origins of communication was shared, suggesting that mate selection may have been the first step in developing general communication systems in nature, as simple codes developed for mate selection serve as effective stepping stones for other communication tasks.

* superkuh mentioned the upcoming mass production of a computer-controlled self-aligning handheld wood router (Shaper Tools), representing an advancement in computer-assisted fabrication technology.

* A discussion on GNURadio included a suggestion for implementing offline source separation using phased array/synthetic aperture techniques for signal processing, particularly for low-frequency communications.

* kanzure speculated about the possibility of amphetamine synthesis in bacteria due to its chemical relationship with serotonin, though this was corrected by streety who pointed out significant structural differences between the compounds.