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 ...
Waiting...getting tired...
I went to the swimming lessons. Then DP and I went out to dinner and bought a new computer to replace the old one from the former schoolroom that’s now the Dragon Room. It’s the same as Pat’s. He says we can hook up the larger keyboard and monitor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTWqJLBGo8
Something detonated outside, or felt like it had.
To everyone else, this wasn’t too much of a bother.
Soames, however, looked as if he’d been suckerpunched and propositioned at the same time.
“Sir?” the entire bridge crew started to get worried, Soames was acting as if he were looking for someone or something.
“At ease. Sensors, what does analysis say that was?” he had an idea, he just wanted confirmation.
“It was a wideband n-space pulse. Seemed to have modulation to it like a radio station.”
Yes, yes it did.
And it was quite damnably uncomfortable.
Soames itched at his arm, the smartdust that held him together was agitated, his digital copy stored within howling in outrage.
And it took quite alot of effort to anger that version of himself that badly.
“Do we have a bead on where it originated?”
“A site the just popped over the horizon. Planetary rotation will bring it to full view soon.” sensors tech helpfully highlighted the target.
Oh, goody.
“Sir, they’re not firing again. Why not?” Eva was puzzled by this, obviously it was a weapon and obviously they expected a result from it.
“They’re waiting to see if it did anything.”
I see you, wave hello down there.
“That weapon, it’s meant to hurt me specifically. It had a message for me. Heh, they call it the ‘god killer’. A god, am I? We’ll see what they think of the actions of a vengeful god then.”
“What do you mean?”
Soames merely gestured his hand outwards.
In the empty black of space an intangible something began taking form.
A latticework of braces rippled and oozed from n-space as if birthed from some obscene cosmic womb.
“I’m going to use a magnifying glass on some ants.”
The artificial gravity lens arrays focused light to a pinpoint on the surface, aim adjusted for light travel and rotation.
“Message of my own sent.” Soames said, staring down at the faint pinprick of artificial magma he’d created.
I get up at 2am and I never think of exercise! But I will now, thanks to you.
;o]
OK. Good start. Now where’s the rest of it?
That was a “bored at work” writing.
At the moment, there isn’t more.
:-/
Unnngh.
Ohnoes! Now I have wait in nins and peedles!!!
*”Dat fing gonna come out — soon!”
Good morning.
I got involved in “Doc Martin” and now I need to go shower, since all is well in Port Wenn. :o]
(Charlie’s fault!)
Kitteh will be ready to jump on you when you come back. I’m going to get the Offspring up.
Done. Now my day can almost start. I have to sort pills, but I’ll have a breathing treatment first. Otherwise, I’ll forget it.
For some reason, I’m retaining water and that’s not good. Hopefully, the second treatment will help that along a bit. I can do that one again a few hours later, but one I can only take once a day or I’ll get a rash. And of course, the steroid is only once.
I see people here (Sylvia comes to mind) who take those steroid inhalers, but she still can’t breathe. My opinion (for what it’s worth) is that doctors prescribe that because they can, and Big Pharma says they should. I don’t think those particular drugs are helping Sylvia. Other people here are on them but I don’t see them very often.
In other news, the parakeets didn’t show up. I sent her a text at 1530 and told her if she wasn’t on her way to just wait until today. Morning, if possible. She actually responded in a timely manner! So I’ll keep the phone close to me today.
Lots of medicines are used when lifestyle changes would be more effective.
The Offspring have all been Bestirred, but some of them have probably fallen back into somnolence since they moved out of my line of sight. I’ll go stir them up again in a while. There’s work to be done.
Exactly. When I realized that the doctors wanted to the disease actually existed, I began to search for alternatives. I credit redhead with helping me to learn about supplements, and that approach has made all the difference in how I function. (Thanks, red!)
I take as few prescription meds as possible because of the side-effects. If one is prescribed for me, I will tell the doctor before I leave the office that I'm not going to use it, as was the case when she prescribed Fosamax. I refused it and was told the alternative was Vitamin D3. So that's what I use. I'll see how well it works at my next bone density screening. :o]
< /soapbox
Nice!
Thanks! Good morning! And happy Friday!
I saw a cartoon where one person was explaining to another that we pay to pick up weights and then put them down again so we can stay strong.
Then it turns out the the person receiving the explanation is a time traveler from the past. He’s seen talking to his compatriots as they push plows behind oxen, wield 10 lb hammers to forge steel, and other such physical things, and says, “Our descendants are crazy!”
..and they tell the common mosquito cannot spread HIV.
Happy Friday.
We made it.
Although it seems to me I’ve been here before. Am I going in circles?
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