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The Pentagon Wants to Make an Army of Virus-Spreading Insects. Scientists Are Concerned.
.livescience.com ^ | October 5, 2018 12:57pm ET | Brandon Specktor

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 ...


TOPICS: Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: aphids; boycethompson; cornelluniversity; crispr; darpa; hurricaneutah; insectallies; ithaca; molassesmiasma; monkeyfacerules; newyork; nithaca; ohio; ohiostate; pennstate; pennsylvania; texas; undead; undeadthread; undeadthreadhere; uoftexasataustin; workingdogs
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To: Silentgypsy

This completes the color greeting.


1,841 posted on 12/12/2018 12:23:25 PM PST by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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To: jjotto

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to visit anytime.

(Your Mencken picture appears to have disappeared from your about page.)


1,842 posted on 12/12/2018 12:43:54 PM PST by NicknamedBob (If you can't do something well, you won't do anything good.)
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To: Silentgypsy

Neither did I.


1,843 posted on 12/12/2018 2:09:27 PM PST by Tax-chick (Ask me about my Marine!)
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To: Monkey Face
You really had to go, hunh?
Didn't you notice that it was cold outside?

1,844 posted on 12/12/2018 6:43:52 PM PST by NicknamedBob (If you can't do something well, you won't do anything good.)
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To: Tax-chick; Monkey Face; Silentgypsy
Good morning all.

Wise cat sticks with old tech incandescent lamps for warmth...

1,845 posted on 12/13/2018 2:27:33 AM PST by Covenantor (Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern. " Chesterton)
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To: Tax-chick; fanfan; ColdOne; Cyber Liberty; null and void; Anoreth; Monkey Face; ...

1,846 posted on 12/13/2018 2:46:18 AM PST by Tax-chick (Ask me about my Marine!)
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To: Covenantor; Tax-chick; NicknamedBob; NoCmpromiz; moose07; Monkey Face; Darksheare; Silentgypsy; ...

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.


1,847 posted on 12/13/2018 7:49:10 AM PST by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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To: ArGee

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


1,848 posted on 12/13/2018 8:08:05 AM PST by Covenantor (Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern. " Chesterton)
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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.


1,849 posted on 12/13/2018 8:17:30 AM PST by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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To: ArGee

I believe it. Cats are clever when it comes to getting what they want.


1,850 posted on 12/13/2018 8:33:51 AM PST by Tax-chick (Ask me about my Marine!)
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To: Covenantor; ArGee; Tax-chick; Monkey Face; no-to-illegals; NoCmpromiz; NicknamedBob; Darksheare; ...

Thank you for lovely lamp kitteh. Our Fluffy is that caramel color with white. G’orning, y’all!


1,851 posted on 12/13/2018 8:43:53 AM PST by Silentgypsy ( “If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.”__Scorpion)
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To: Tax-chick

Thank you for Flower Kitteh!


1,852 posted on 12/13/2018 8:45:01 AM PST by Silentgypsy ( “If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.”__Scorpion)
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To: ArGee

Prayers up for best possible outcome!


1,853 posted on 12/13/2018 8:47:07 AM PST by Silentgypsy ( “If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.”__Scorpion)
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To: Silentgypsy

Kitteh does not eat this.

Happy Thorsday!


1,854 posted on 12/13/2018 9:15:25 AM PST by Tax-chick (Ask me about my Marine!)
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To: Tax-chick

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.


1,855 posted on 12/13/2018 10:25:38 AM PST by Covenantor (Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern. " Chesterton)
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To: Covenantor

Life is full of lost opportunities.


1,856 posted on 12/13/2018 10:30:52 AM PST by Tax-chick (Ask me about my Marine!)
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To: Tax-chick

Or, in my case, lost opportunists.


1,857 posted on 12/13/2018 11:07:29 AM PST by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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To: ArGee; Tax-chick

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.


1,858 posted on 12/13/2018 1:20:38 PM PST by NicknamedBob (If you can't do something well, you won't do anything good.)
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To: NicknamedBob

Life is like that.

In other news, Kathleen had a riding lesson today, and I have a church meeting tonight.


1,859 posted on 12/13/2018 2:11:34 PM PST by Tax-chick (Ask me about my Marine!)
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To: Tax-chick

1,860 posted on 12/13/2018 7:06:10 PM PST by Tax-chick (Ask me about my Marine!)
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