# Key Points from ##hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• A significant paper challenging previous assumptions about quantum effects in biological systems was shared, specifically "Nature does not rely on long-lived electronic quantum coherence for photosynthetic energy transfer" (arXiv:1610.08425).

• Participants critiqued cryonics organizations for evolving into "faith-based rather than science-based enterprises," highlighting fundamental problems including lack of feedback mechanisms, poor scientific validation, and over-reliance on hypothetical future nanotechnology.

• The discussion explored DNA synthesis technology challenges, particularly the complexities of chemical DNA synthesis using inkjet printers, noting the specialized chemistry expertise required to debug the many variables in such systems.

• Participants discussed the potential of directed evolution for DNA assembly, suggesting it might take 5-10 years to develop cells capable of correctly assembling 10,000 DNA fragments.

• Amazon Web Services announcements were highlighted, including Rekognition (deep learning-powered image recognition), FPGA-programmable EC2 instances, and Snowmobile (a 100 PB/week data transfer service).

• Multiple neuroscience papers were shared covering automated neuron segmentation, neuromorphic silicon photonics, brain decoding of dream contents using deep neural networks, and synapse detection techniques.