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 ...
This completes the color greeting.
Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to visit anytime.
(Your Mencken picture appears to have disappeared from your about page.)
Neither did I.
Didn't you notice that it was cold outside?

Wise cat sticks with old tech incandescent lamps for warmth...
Oh, it was to get the heat.
My daughter claims her cat has learned to wake up her phone to wake up my daughter.
Anyway, I’m up. Kitteh can turn off the lamp.
Not just the heat....every film actor knows it’s all about good lighting...keep your mouth shut and with really good lighting anyone can get an Oscar... in this case King Oscar Sardines
For those who are keeping score, I’ve been selected by the contracting company to join the Department of Social Services project. On Tuesday I need to meet with some head honcho at DSS to see if they have a problem with me joining.
Based on the PITA behavior of our customer again this morning, if I’m blessed, I’ll probably go.
They can’t pay me enough for this.
I believe it. Cats are clever when it comes to getting what they want.
Thank you for lovely lamp kitteh. Our Fluffy is that caramel color with white. G’orning, y’all!
Thank you for Flower Kitteh!
Prayers up for best possible outcome!
Kitteh does not eat this.
Happy Thorsday!
Scan spam list, came across this header...
Important! Warren Buffe...
Hi, I’m Warren Buffet, are you interested in a $1,500,000 donatio....
Just my luck...a day late.
Life is full of lost opportunities.
Or, in my case, lost opportunists.
Thing I like about Warren Buffet? He said, “When everyone else is excited about the stock market, I get nervous. And when everyone else is nervous, that’s when I buy.”
I bought some stock today.
It went down.
Life is like that.
In other news, Kathleen had a riding lesson today, and I have a church meeting tonight.
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