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 has been a very strange day. I’m still not sure how to deal with it, even to myself. Not bad, necessarily, just strange. I’ll process it in my sleep and come up with what I think this day has been and what it means. Noting got done today. Period.
On the other hand, maybe my entire perception of it has been skewed by the lack of sleep last night. We’ll see in the morning.
So I’m off to bed. My body hates me for being awake and upight for so long.
‘Nite, all!
I hope you have a good night.
Happy Birthday to Pat! Tomorrow, his computer goes dark again. He will suffer.
That belongs in The First LOL Of The Day Award!
For cat lovers everywhere! And just for folks who like funny things. Thanks!
Squeeful! That looks like a taper and flame on that little floof’s nose! Thanks for such a cute kitteh!
I started to post about Pat’s birthday, and then I remembered my second grandson had a birthday about the same time, and I couldn’t wish him one because I have no contact information for him.
So Happy Birthday Patrick, and Jared, wherever you are! I found my birthday book and saw that Jared’s birthday was the 20th, so I need to put Patrick’s in there, as well. Would it be today?
I found some chicken broth and some Creamy Chicken ramen and will spend the day with doses of that and some TLC tea. And I’ll stay indoors.
Its 40° and though the Not-always-Accurate weather beeber says it’s that temp with no precipitation, it also says, “ice.” Whut? :o/
Pat’s birthday is the 22nd. It’s cold here, too, but it will get above freezing later. I need to do various cleaning tasks in order to make room to put up the faux tree. Only Pat and Frank are up, so far.
Excuse me while I go put up the blind for Jake’s sunbeam and sort a load of laundry!
Thanks! It’s in my book on the proper day, now!
For whatever reason, my printer says it doesn’t recognize the yellow cartridge, and that’s the only original cartridge in the cartridge holder. The rest were from the box of inks that my Real Brother sent. So tomorrow, I’ll have to go to Walmart and get a yellow cartridge.
I can write letters, but can’t print them until I get more inks. This is depressing for me. Its been a Sunday ritual for over four years, when James was on his mission. Of course, I could write them in cursive, but my fingers are so stiff this morning I can hardly type. I shudder to think what my handwriting looks like.
You can’t print in black and white? That reminds me, I’m going to have to nag DP to replace the black cartridge on our copier/color printer. I never use it for color printing, but I have to make b/w copies.
I don’t know how to make it default to printing black and white. I can do it for each print job, but it won’t work unless all cartridges are in there. I think it has something to do with the fact that it’s for a home office or a small business, because it has a lot of features I use, but not often, and I’m sure you probably never would.
But, that’s OK. I wrote letters yesterday, and it was only when I tried to print that I realized I had to replace the yellow. Oh. Erase the first paragraph. I just realized the black ink is so low, I kept getting a message to use colors to help extend the black, and the yellow just finally ran out, but the printer recognized it as something else.
So I need to get black ink but the single cartridges at Walmart are faulty, which means I’ll have to get an XL black and a yellow. I don’t know if they have a single yellow or if I have to buy the whole combination of black and the three colors. Which may be cheaper than the black XL. But the money hasn’t been returned to my account, yet. so oh well.
Is there an office-supply store in the area? They might have a better selection of ink cartridges.
I’ll have to look but they are probably twice what I pay at Walmart for the same thing. which is why I buy the inks at Walmart or eBay.
Anyway, I can’t get it until the money is returned, so there isn’t much I can do but wait.
No office supply stores here. One in St George. Walmart is the only game in town, unless I go online.
But I asked to be here, warts and all!
*tagline*
Thank you for gorgeous kitty!
You’re welcome. Cats: so much better than us.
Oh, assuredly. I so envy the ability to have my tongue become a washcloth.
I had a cat who liked to “tiptoe” through the carpeted areas with claws extended. He either liked the way it felt or the way it sounded, because he did it almost all the time he wasn’t sleeping.
Sounded really strange!
And with that, I’m off to bed because tomorrow is laundry day, and then Walmart and then banging on the walls so I can hang up a lot of things! Paintings first!
‘Night, all! :o]
Night!
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