# Summary of IRC Log from #hplusroadmap (January 21, 2017)

• Gen9Bio, a synthetic DNA provider, was acquired by Ginkgo Bioworks, indicating consolidation in the synthetic biology industry with Ginkgo noting their "thirst for DNA is endless."

• A transcript about verifiable brain preservation by Ken Hayworth was shared, focusing on electron microscopy techniques for brain preservation verification (available at diyhpl.us/wiki/transcripts/verifiable-brain-preservation/).

• A user suggested that brain blood volume should be replaced with non-blood during sleep to reduce hypoxia, representing a theoretical approach to improving brain function.

• Discussion of a Fruit Fly Brain Hackathon 2017 at Columbia University was shared, likely related to computational neuroscience research.

• Technical discussion about using optical fibers with phosphor coating to detect X-rays in a Focused Ion Beam system, with specific mention of Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and the Auger effect for elemental analysis.

• A user successfully set up a spectrometer in a Windows XP virtual machine and discussed capturing USB traffic with Wireshark to develop a Python library for the device.

• Concerns were raised about the "open rtms list" being "overrun by pseudo-science idiots and persinger delusionals," with specific criticism of "god helmet" associations damaging legitimate research.