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 ...
G’daft ernoon, y’all!
When I was a student it amazed me how the public library was not open much outside of school hours. That's when I needed it most.
The bottom of the day to you, too!
Several years ago I suggested the national campaign and election for President be replaced with a TV show like “Survivor” where losers could be voted out of the campaign until one was left. I thought it might attract a more active, and responsible, participation from the voting population.
Today I’m thinking that suggestion wouldn’t be nearly radical enough to save us. Just the Dem primary is beginning to look like American Horror Story.
I was too tired to go there today, so maybe tomorrow, after I force myself to go get xrays. If I can. Otherwise, I’ll stay home. Hours of being open don’t do much good unless one can actually go there. :o|
Back from a full morning of alarums and excursions. We brought home leftover desserts from a church event. I should not have eaten them.
Hate posting from a smortphome.
Last night around elevenish my main computer died. I’m still not sure what it is since trpubleshooting isn’t complete. First order of business today is getting the backup device online so the complaining contingent is quieted. Their internet access comes through the gateway that died. Wireless works for them but not as well due to signal strength issues in the olde farm house..
Just in time for me to say “so long for the day, evening and night, and I’ll see all y’all in the morning!”
I contacted FedEx and got a robot for a chat agent. If I hadn’t been so tired, it would have been interesting. As it was, I couldn’t have hated the interchange much more. It had to be non-existent for me to enjoy it.
The live agent said, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” I replied, “It wasn’t inconvenient — it was sloppy. If my neighbor hadn’t called me, it could have been in the house of a porch pirate.” And then I requested a copy of the chat transcript, and the printer in wonky so I can’t print it yet. Now, I’m going to bed.
Hope you have a good night.
Good luck with all that.
I was just reading an interesting article on how young people smoking pot can permanently damage their minds. Apparently it messes up the hippo - hypo - something which impacts - uh - impacts - I think I’ll go read the article again.
Church desserts—be still, my heart....
Walking-distance library—heavenly!
Hippocampus maybe? If you’ve got hippos on your campus you’d better stay alert.
Psychotropic drugs — words mean things.
Hippocampus? Hypocampus? Hypercampus? Hypercamus.
If you have a hypercamus words don’t mean anything.
I don't have a hypercamus. I only have an Albert Camus, and that's gotten a little bit dusty.
But I liked what he had to say about Sisyphus.
Hippocampus? Hypothalamus? Sounds serious.
If you have a thesaurus, that helps.
An apartment building is being built just across the driveway from the library we usually visit.
That could be a convenience for the apartment dwellers, or a disaster for the library.
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