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 ...
Thanks!
I think one of my new plants from yesterday is going to die. It looks like the wind last night snapped its stems. If it doesn’t perk up in a couple of days, I’ll get something else for the spot under the holly tree.
Ditto me, T-c. What SG said! ;o]
Good late afternoon all. I had Jury Duty today but am released for another 4 years. I could have posted from my beeber but my glasses aren’t that strong.
I’m so sorry to see the Cathedral at Notre Dame is burning.
I may not catch up today until tomorrow (however that works).
Happy late Monday.
Happy late Monday, ArGee. I saw the item about the fire, too.
I’ve been cleaning the girls’ room, because Elen, USMC, will be here on Wednesday and I promised her it would be clean. I told Drama Queen that I’d put all her &*^& in the trunk of the car, but I haven’t really, because it’s my car and I don’t want all her ^&*^ in it.
Rats. I hate it when I lose a plant—like I’m a failure as a parent. My condolences.
Glad you’re exempt for four years. Last time they contacted me, I told them, “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.”
I’m sorry about Notre Dame, too, but the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed three times, so....
Can you get a carton and stick all of Drama Queen’s ^&*^ in it and hide it in the basement temporarily?
Just an apocryphal story. Maybe..
About forty minutes later, the boy returned home with the pizza ... and the coupon!
I asked the obvious question, “Why didn’t you use the coupon?”
“Dad, I had enough money. I didn’t need the coupon.”
We hadn’t had time to become attached. No refund on annuals, unfortunately.
No basement.
You have played this game then..
Ahhh... The slither of the seven sheets.
You move your limbs under seven sheets, cat attacks limbs.
Remove one sheet, go up one level of pain.
Repeat.
The Morning Floofs are very floofable. I slept late, though I thought I went to bed early. Like 1630 or so.
And I’ve been gathering wool for the last 45 minutes. I went to FB to see what was going on with my Peeps since we all got to our respective homes, and got stuck saving photos of my brother’s stuff.
Then photos of the Notre Dame fire began to show up and I got involved in that because the fire was first on my newsfeed when I booted up this morning.
So I’m sorry I’m so late. I really am home!! :o]
Good morning. I’ve got the dishes and laundry squared away. Next, I’m going to comb Kathleen’s hair. Then I have to mop in the dining room. The Overnight People perpetrated a spill.
Good morning. Happy Tuesday.
The day I left with my nieces and a nephew, my neighbor suddenly wanted her parking spot next to mine, which she hasn’t used since I moved in. She saw my truck parked the other way yesterday, (backed in as opposed to nose in) and this morning, she is parked on the street again.
What did I ever do to her? Besides tell her I wasn’t going to watch Snarly again because he didn’t know me and it wasn’t fair to him to have me let him in and out.
Oh, some peeps are so funny!!! :o])
Morning again, Tuesday people. Back from Weight Watchers, where unnngh. But it was nice to see everyone.
Drama Queen had to change the tire on the Avalon before she and Pat went to school, so it’s a good thing they were leaving early because I said I wanted them ready before I left for Weight Watchers so I could be sure they would be going because you can never be sure she’s going to make it out of bed.
I don’t see any major damage on the tire, but I’ll take it to the shop where I bought and see what they say. I think it’s under warranty. Then I’ll take the remaining twerps and noodles to the library.
I think I have laundry to do first, though.
Happy Tuesday, O succinct one.
G’daft ernoon, y’all!
Who does the laundry in your house? Oh, wait—I forgot about your machine—it probably takes a platoon so nobody cares how much laundry you generate as long as you can threaten, cajole or otherwise convince the machine to cooperate. How’s the dryer doing these days?
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