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The Pentagon Wants to Make an Army of Virus-Spreading Insects. Scientists Are Concerned.
.livescience.com ^ | October 5, 2018 12:57pm ET | Brandon Specktor

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 ...


TOPICS: Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: aphids; boycethompson; cornelluniversity; crispr; darpa; hurricaneutah; insectallies; ithaca; molassesmiasma; monkeyfacerules; newyork; nithaca; ohio; ohiostate; pennstate; pennsylvania; texas; undead; undeadthread; undeadthreadhere; uoftexasataustin; workingdogs
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To: ArGee; Monkey Face; Tax-chick
"... so off we go."

Having a day off is not the same as having an off day.

5,661 posted on 04/23/2019 6:30:17 AM PDT by NicknamedBob (If you can't do something well, you won't do anything good.)
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To: ArGee; Tax-chick; Monkey Face; no-to-illegals; NoCmpromiz; NicknamedBob; Darksheare; moose07; ...
Thank you for sweet little kitteh!

G'orning, y'all!

5,662 posted on 04/23/2019 8:08:12 AM PDT by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: NicknamedBob; Monkey Face; Tax-chick

Ain’t THAT the truf???!!!

As I was wandering toward my 10:30 meeting today several people said something like, “Enjoy.”

So I went to Coney Island instead of to the meeting.

Well, not really, but that’s what I was thinking. “Enjoy a meeting? Are you nuts???!!!”


5,663 posted on 04/23/2019 9:02:47 AM PDT by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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To: Silentgypsy

G’orning.

Mr. SG still recovering per plan? You doing OK?

I woke up this morning and decided to enjoy life as it comes rather than wishing it were better.

2 seconds on the subway and that resolution was blown.

Oh, well.


5,664 posted on 04/23/2019 9:03:58 AM PDT by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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To: ArGee

I’ll just help myself to the palindrome post.


5,665 posted on 04/23/2019 9:04:27 AM PDT by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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To: ArGee; Dead Corpse; Monkey Face

And on behalf of the Rev, I’ll dispatch this one.


5,666 posted on 04/23/2019 10:31:49 AM PDT by NicknamedBob (If you can't do something well, you won't do anything good.)
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To: NicknamedBob; Dead Corpse

He’s still around, so I’m sure he’ll poke his head in one of these days! ;o]

In the meantime, I’ll thank you for taking it!


5,667 posted on 04/23/2019 10:42:46 AM PDT by Monkey Face (For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.)
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To: HKMk23; NoCmpromiz; NicknamedBob; Dead Corpse
OK, Guys. I am at a total loss. I have tried two separate NEW DVD players, using either HDMI or A/V cables and I cannot get the TV to cooperate and let me watch movies.

Tomorrow, I will call the cable company and see what they can do, but for now, I feel like a real dunce. NEVER have I NOT been able to hook up a DVD player and watch movies.

Any suggestions?

5,668 posted on 04/23/2019 11:50:05 AM PDT by Monkey Face (For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.)
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To: Tax-chick
As long as it's not the same wizard that the dude in 5645 used.. ;-)

The thought to launch the game (since it said it was playable) did the trick and allowed/forced/cajoled the download into finishing.

I also found out that I don't know nuttin' 'bout playin' these newfangled blood gore and mayhem games. I had to be informed that it uses both the keyboard AND mouse to move/smash things. And it's set up for a wrong-handed person with no way to change it so right handed persons can play it conveniently. For instance, it uses the W-A-S-Z keys to navigate which happen to be on the same side of the keyboard that right-handed persons place the mouse. Fortunately the game doesn't alter the mouse settings back to the Windoze default of wrong-handed so at least the mouse button function was proper.

The game is set up (it seems) for multi-player-over-internet which might explain why instead of getting killed you become 'unsynchronized'..

Mahjong doesn't require keeping track of a plethora of keystroke functions. ;-)

The graphics are good.

But gory.. ;-)

My play on the double meaning of the word 'right' in the English language does not translate well into Spanish..

5,669 posted on 04/23/2019 12:34:03 PM PDT by NoCmpromiz (John 14:6 is a non-pluralistic comment.)
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To: Monkey Face

Without looking at the thing(s) I’ll posit one guess. Does your TV have a ‘settings’ mode that you can access from either the front panel or the remote? Sometimes you have to go into the settings to ‘turn on’ certain aux inputs.

Of course, if you had it connected and it worked before you moved I have no idea what would have changed.


5,670 posted on 04/23/2019 12:39:58 PM PDT by NoCmpromiz (John 14:6 is a non-pluralistic comment.)
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To: Monkey Face

Byte blasters at 20 paces???

SRSLY, without pictures of:
The back of the DVD player
The back of the TV
The alien being on your roof

I can’t really be of much help.


5,671 posted on 04/23/2019 1:54:55 PM PDT by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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To: ArGee

The subway can do it to you. I asked him to order a stiff rib belt thrice. He seems to care more about a lawnmover battery. Oh, well. Nobody else listens to me, either. Still praying for you and yours.


5,672 posted on 04/23/2019 2:25:56 PM PDT by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: Monkey Face
"NEVER have I NOT been able to hook up a DVD player and watch movies. Any suggestions?"

You're probably connected, but you may not be selected.

It used to be that you had to switch to TV channel three to use games and videos, but nowadays you'll likely have to use the remote and press the "select", "source", or "input" buttons.

You might want to have your second device playing when you do this to let you know when it switches over, and to what "source".

5,673 posted on 04/23/2019 3:28:05 PM PDT by NicknamedBob (If you can't do something well, you won't do anything good.)
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To: Silentgypsy
seems to care more about a lawnmover battery.

Well.. I don't need to worry about the lawnmower battery. At least not this year.

After it being quiescent all winter I started the Red Riding Thing today and mowed the front and side yards inside the driveway. Then I was interrupted by liquid glowbull warmthing descending on my person from glowering skies..

5,674 posted on 04/23/2019 3:44:24 PM PDT by NoCmpromiz (John 14:6 is a non-pluralistic comment.)
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To: NoCmpromiz; NicknamedBob; ArGee

New, arrived Monday, out of the box on Tuesday AM.

The TV is hooked by co-ax to the “set-top” box. There is an HDMI cable from it to — nothing until I hooked it to the back of the DVD player. Then I hooked the A/V cables to the back of the TV and the DVD player. The “set-top” box only has one HDMI port and no A/V ports. The DVD player has both. I have extra A/V cables as well as HDMI cables.

I plan to hook the HDMI from the “set-top” to the TV, then A/V from the TV to the DVD, though I don’t know if that will solve the problem. If it doesn’t, I’ll call the cable company and ask for their expertise.


5,675 posted on 04/24/2019 2:01:11 AM PDT by Monkey Face (For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.)
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To: Monkey Face

Un-hook the AV cables. You only need either HDMI or AV and HDMI is better. I wouldn’t mess with the set-top cable box.

Then, make sure your TV is set for the HDMI input (the correct one as many have more than one) and you should be good to go.


5,676 posted on 04/24/2019 5:24:09 AM PDT by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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To: fanfan; ColdOne; Cyber Liberty; null and void; Tax-chick; Anoreth; Monkey Face; ...
Take me to your leader, earthling.

Good morning, all.

5,677 posted on 04/24/2019 5:26:33 AM PDT by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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To: ArGee

I tried it with the A/V then discarded them for the HDMI. So its HDMI From set-top to back of TV, then HDMI from TV to DVD player. Nothing. There are four HDMI ports, one of which says “service only.” Whatever that means. I tried them all except for the “Service only” port, so I’m totally swamped as to what to do.

Until I can get TDS out here to set up the TV in the bedroom and also to fix the set-up here, I’ll be using the one on the laptop. I think I owe the developer for that a gazillion dollars in gratitude.

And you that much for telling me about it! <3


5,678 posted on 04/24/2019 6:54:47 AM PDT by Monkey Face (For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.)
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To: ArGee

The little morning floof likes slightly bed-raggled, poor little tyke!

Thank you, ArGee! You’re good! :o])


5,679 posted on 04/24/2019 7:00:10 AM PDT by Monkey Face (For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.)
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To: Monkey Face

I would do it this way:

Set-top -> TV (coax)
DVD -> TV (HDMI 1)

If the TV doesn’t show anything I would try HDMI 2 and 3 (ignore the service port) and then a different HDMI cable.

It is entirely possible you got a bad DVD player, but that’s not an early bet.

Just out of curiosity, does your laptop have an HDMI port? If it does, you could try hooking that to the TV and seeing if you get a Windoze display on the TV. If you do then you are hooking things up rightly and have a bad DVD player.


5,680 posted on 04/24/2019 7:32:21 AM PDT by ArGee (I trust people with freedom more than I trust government with power.)
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