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 ...
Never encountered a Gila monster the whole time I lived there. Thanks.
Me either, but they’re not aggressive animals.
I wouldn’t want to spend any time out there, regardless of my survival training!
What ‘Face said. It’s known as “29 Stumps.” Elen is admiring the novel ecosystem and dramatic views, but it will be more difficult to enjoy it in July!
The Marines train for air ops there, so there are assignments for Tactical Air Traffic Control, but we hope she’ll go someplace else for her first real post.
Congratulations on the hair!
West TN’s ecosystem is more fun than the desert’s. The most gorgeous snake I’d ever seen—have photos but didn’t do it justice—was a juvenile red rat/corn snake. The lizards and birds are pretty, too. The spiders are quite large. The armadillos look at me as if I’m the funny-looking one (no comments, please). We had a vixen barking/yodeling at our door at one point. Apparently, she and her family have lived in the hood for generations so they’re all familiar with her. There are three YUGE kittehs that hang out in the back yard and by the cats’ sunroom. There are froggy things, water birds, squirrels, coons. Haven’t seen a possum here. Bambis galore. Fortunately, no bears nor feral hogs. (The hogs sound scary.) Reports of a panther in the holler about 11 years ago, but none since. Mice, of course. What got this started? I’ll shut up now. Have a great day!
You have a good day, too, and enjoy all your wildlife!
Mappy Hunday.
I iz working today. I haz a break because some technical guy is pushing new softwarez to my ‘puter. So I iz on my beeber and checking in.
I’m glad you’re feeling settled. Hopefully you won’t have the, “Now, what clever place did I decide would be best for X” that I always run into after moving - even moving to a new office.
Wild life? I thought she was talking about critters.
Is there a fraternity or something I missed?
Thanks!
I did that with the bolts to the occasional table legs. So I made two trips to Ace Hardware (the first was without a table leg, necessitating the second,) but all is well, now.
Being able to put the rug down was absolutely the best thing I’ve done since I got the U-Haul unloaded! The sheer curtains helped but the rug is the best! It really brightens up this little room.
Thanks! I was beginning to wonder if the hair would ever recover from the constant stress, but its doing a very good job of growing back in!
About an hour ago, I decided to go to the Stake Center and offload the stuff in the BB SUV. NOT! The pod was locked and there was a note on it that said it was full and to take any donations to “the Stake Center down the street.” I have no idea where that is, and with the gas gauge indicating a hair’s breadth away from the red zone, I decided not to try and find it.
Instead, I drove a half mile up the hill to the Dollar Tree and got a couple of hamburgers for lunches.
Tomorrow, I’ll just take the stuff to St Paul’s Thrift store and call it a done deal. I’ll either come back for the second load immediately or wait until I have more gas. I can’t even go to see what Casey would charge to troubleshoot the defroster system.
And the day is overcast, windy, rainy and cold. The windows in the truck were all fogged over by the time I got to the Dollar Tree.
Oh yes. As one approaches the entrance to the Dollar Tree, there is a fairly large sign on the window that reads: Free Ride In A Police Car! If you’re caught shoplifting. ;o]
My heater stopped heatering and it turned out I needed the exchange coils flushed. It wasn’t expensive (by Manhattan standards).
I woke up to 7 Fs this morning. It’s now up to 12 Fs - almost balmy.
I sit out in the cat’s sunroom and enjoy the wildlife and greenery! One of our neighbors asked if it’s OK if his son (a bowhunter) could hunt on our property. I said no, and I don’t give a rip if they’re unhappy about it. I’ve seen enough death and suffering to last a few lifetimes.
Mappy Hunday!
Give them credit for asking, but make sure you check periodically for trespassing. And who cares if they’re unhappy? Your property, your critters.
I did a jigsaw puzzle, with help from a few passing children and Jake. Now James and I are off on some errands. We’re almost out of cat food.
I’ll try to hang in there until payday, nursing the defroster along, but I really do need to get it fixed. I just thought those things ran forever. I’ve heard other people tell horror stories of frigid Wyoming or International Falls MN winters with having to scrape both the inside and outside of the windshield, but I just thought it was so much smoke being blown in my direction.
If I can, I’ll wait. This is still January, and there is one more month of “winter” here, so I want it fixed. I want to be warm when I drive! Folks at church shake my offered hand and their hands are always so warm! *envy*
I might do a jigsaw in a few minutes. I used to save all the ones I did until I realized I had seven long pages of them. So I began to delete them as I completed them. I usually do the 300 piece with the most complex shape, but I guess if I wanted a real challenge, I’d pick one with pieces all the same shape. Like, square. ;o]
I’m out of several things, which is why I went to the Dollar Tree, because I needed something different. I found asparagus! I should have looked for beets, too...
They’ll respect my wishes. Additionally, we have electronic surveillance.
I was hoping you’d say that!
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