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 ...
I miss the fish of warding.
Sis had a blue betta named “fish-fish” who would threaten soda cans whenever he saw them.
We’ve had several over the years. Elen had one recently, but it died while she was at boot camp. She blames Sally.
A picture of innocence much like the picture of a child but kittah the world will need to be saved by someone as your picture pose addresses and your gaze is in the proper direction. Good job kittah, good job
Christmas time Hugs everyone
Good morning. Kitteh is keeping an eye on things for us.
Wow! Not just magical—they’re little angels (sometimes grouchy angels, but still angels)! They were sent to us to keep us humble....
From the reflection on his eyes I’d say he’s watching television, and not understanding it any better than I do.
My advisor asks me to buy stock when he wants to short the market.
Pweeze, pweeze, pweeze can I haz Friday?
Happy Friday, everyone.
Thank you. Bro-hug, of course. ;)
God Bless you one and all!
I recognize my inferiority to cats several times a day.
Best advice I can give you is to watch what I buy, and then avoid it like the plague.
Well, Ganag of Undeaders, the ‘Face has the Interwebs and TV!
I would have posted sooner but I got a phone call from someone checking in on me to see if I need any help. Make that two calls.
The sofa is back together and the bookcases have been placed where they will stay for the duration. Now all I have to do is find the little bag of shelf pegs that kept getting in my way. I will need to find a pantry soon, but for now, I want to get the books into the cases to I can find my way from one room to another without detours.
It’s quite a bit colder here, being 29° this morning when I left for Walmart, but the scenery makes up for it!
Once I get things put up on the walls, the place will feel like home!
Glad it’s going well. Mrs. ArGee has learned to tape a ziploc of shelf hardware under the top of the shelf frame. That way she knows where to find them. She puts them under the top shelf in case the tape does some damage. She uses packing tape.
Congratulations! Now you can watch your tv programs and FReep!
Did that. They seem to have migrated. The list of things that happened/went wrong/diverged and/or changed from leaving the confines of Espinoza to arrival here at Hurricane (no fancy property name) seems to have grown a life of its own.
I don’t know anything any more. Walmart is almost five miles away and every time I come down the hill back into town, my photo gets taken for going 47-49 in a 45 zone. With no front plates on the BB SUV I guess John law will have to hunt me down.
At least its far enough away to get the cab of the truck all toasty before I have to park and go into a building.
Yes, but I can’t find any channels I like, and therefore, no shows I normally watch. I’ll be a little upset if I can’t watch Dr Blake Mysteries, Doc Martin, New Tricks, Father Brown and The Coroner. Those shows kept me sane. Along with Midsomer Murders.
And I can’t find a decent TV guide online. The trademarked guide is a piece of work.
Use your brake!
I got my hair cut by a hairdresser Elen went to while she was home at Thanksgiving. It looks much better, although not perfect like when Jamie was doing it. My last haircut, right before we went to South Carolina, was not well done.
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