Posted on 10/06/2018 2:02:35 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Pentagon research project called "Insect Allies." Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the project involves using gene-editing techniques like CRISPR to infect insects with modified viruses that could help make America's crops more resilient. If a cornfield were hit by an unexpected drought or suddenly exposed to a pathogen, for example, Insect Allies might deploy an army of aphids carrying a genetically modified virus to slow the corn plant's growth rate.
According to the DARPA website, these "targeted therapies" could take effect in a single growing season, potentially protecting the American crop system from food security threats like disease, flooding, frost and even "threats introduced by state or non-state actors.
… Insect Allies, is less concerned. "Anytime you're developing a new and revolutionary technology, there is that potential for [both offensive and defensive] capability," Bextine told The Washington Post. "But that is not what we are doing. We are delivering positive traits to plants… We want to make sure we ensure food security, because food security is national security in our eyes."
Insect Allies is still in the early stages of development, and at least four U.S. colleges (Boyce Thompson Institute, Penn State University, The Ohio State University and the University of Texas at Austin)have received funding to carry out research. Bextine told The Washington Post that the project recently achieved its first milestone — testing whether an aphid could infect a stalk of corn with a designer virus that caused fluorescence. According to the Washington Post, "the corn glowed."
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
The good idea that sleeping on the couch at O-dark thirty in the A.M. seems, does not have quite the same panache when true morning arrives.
In liberal logic land, words are more important that realities.
That depends on how well your Camel is smoked...
Indeed! :o]
It seems the BCE/CE was invented to assuage the guilt of those who have decided there was no Jesus, but “just in case” kinda thing. I’ve never been impressed by it.
Ha-ha!
Sigh. Still can’t use my home, school, or work space due to the adult houseguest’s lie-in, so I’ve brought my party to hang out at the library. Later, we’ll go shopping. Then I’ll take them out to dinner. Then we’ll go to Mass.
“Very Buddhist”
My mom says it’s Calvinist fatalism.
Regarding BCE/CE, Professor Barnhardt, the “ancient Americas” lecturer says that using BC and AD is, if one understands, proclaiming the particular person Jesus to be both the Jewish Messiah and “Lord,” that is, a god. A person who considers those claims to be blasphemy would like to use a different dating convention.
That's going to get old in a hurry...
Indeed. I was just dosing off in a comfy chair at the library when a church friend spotted me!
Erm. ‘”Dozing”
LOL! What’s the difference? ;o]
Frappy sort of Hiday!
I have no doubt that is true. But the era is common because it was common to acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
Maybe, in order not to cause offence, we should date things as was once done. This year is the Second year of President Trump.
That should avoid offending anyone, right?
LOL!
Excellent idea! Haha!
My across-the-table Thanksgiving partner (actually, across the complex) is Charlie, and we discuss politics almost every day. In between football, baseball and hockey. ;o]
Other times, we discuss the silly people we have as neighbors. Always good for a laugh!
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