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 ...
“Doing the wash” has always been a bit more hazardous than one might expect.
“Stan, what if our lives were decided by giant cosmic dice?” Dan suddenly inquired of his co-worker out of the blue as they examined the utility room of the building.
“Really? That’s fairly preposterous.”
Just then, the mimic that lived in the basement scuttled into view.
“I can’t move?!” indeed, none could move.
Monster, human, anything.
All around the world everything froze in place because the dicemasters were using the restroom.
To: Darksheare; tuliptree76
“Your Weight And Fortune”
That’s what the sign on the machine said.
“Odd.” Thought he, “I haven’t seen one of these in years.”
Stepping up on the platform, he saw the price, twenty-five cents. “Hmm. The price has gone up some.” Idly he reached into his pocket for a coin. He heard the coin drop through the scanner with satisfaction, and saw the display light up.
“189 pounds.”
He grunted in satisfaction. “Just like me to pay for something I already knew.” Patiently, he waited for the second part. What was to be his fortune?
“188 pounds.”
“Hunh?” He stared. “Did I bounce, or something?”
“187 pounds.”
Now this was getting interesting. He continued to stand on the platform as the numbers ticked downward. He could actually feel that gravity was losing its grip on him as the pressure against his feet diminished. “Cool! Maybe now my feet won’t hurt so much!” He reached into his pocket for another quarter, in case the machine needed to be fed again. It wasn’t necessary.
“76 pounds.”
There were no coins left in his pocket, where before there had been several. Mystified, he checked his wallet.. Unbelievably, it was empty. Astonished, he stared into the emptiness of it. This could not be!
“14 pounds.”
He looked around to see if there were any addresses, or other information about this curious machine which had somehow robbed him. Unfortunately, he failed to step off the platform. As he peered into the coin slot, the machine made a final click of some sort, and released him. The display went off. Irritated, he straightened up.
And he continued moving upward, ascending through no apparent effort as though he were riding in an elevator. By the time he realized the danger he faced, he could no longer reach anything to grab onto. The buildings shrank beneath him.
“Your weight and fortune.” Belatedly, he realized now the literal truth behind that innocuous phrase.
The city shrank beneath him. The air grew thin and cold.
Far below, a strange machine occupied a lonely vigil. “Your Weight And Fortune” read the sign.
Classic, Bob.
I remember.
I’m certain that all of us would love to read it!
Before my time. A noob, I only started lurking in 2008. I appreciate the trip down memory lane!
Remind me not to ever step on a weight and fortune machine. Please!
I ran across it during my move, but I have a few things to finish before I get back into the “storage vault” that holds the plastic file boxes. When I find it, SG, I’ll be sure to share it again. It truly is “Darkshearean!”
Not much of me, because the closeness we had isn’t there any more. We used to dream the same dreams, and I always knew when he was lurking. He can verify that, too! Gone, now, sadly. It was fun while it lasted and we’re still good friends, but there seemed to be a telepathic connection back then that has dwindled with time.
Oh, c’mon, new friends are like silver, old are like gold!
Darks and I are still friends, of course we are. But the telepathic connection isn’t there as strong as it once was. I’d stand in front of a moving train if it meant saving Dark’s life, and that’s the truth!
What a precious snookie-puss!
Mew!
The Morning Floof is a bewildered, tiny little squee!
Good morning. Nothing is on tap for today. As I was putting away the clothes that had dried, I did a cursory weeding out because the bedroom closet isn’t as wide nor as deep as the one in Henderson, and there has to be a weeding out to make it all fit without wrinkling. It won’t be so bad when I swap out my summer clothes, but for now it’s awful.
But eventually, I’ll get it to where I’m comfortable. It’s just hard right now.
![](https://i.imgur.com/ZQvcWE1.png")
I think that should be “poor hygiene” in the third line.
I need to go through my closet again, too. With the irregular weather, I’ve got both summer and winter clothes in a pile.
LOL! Another reason to hate being a retail salesperson!
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