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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: NoCmpromiz; BOBWADE

Black Jack Pershing was from Missouri, too. We might be related.


5,881 posted on 05/05/2019 12:09:56 PM PDT by Tax-chick ("The villain is not the market but the state." ~ Jonah Goldberg)
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To: NoCmpromiz; Tax-chick; BOBWADE
"Maybe our commentator from Missouri will post a thread worthy of its being repurposed..."

Suddenly the dearth of "repurposable" threads is made apparent.

5,882 posted on 05/05/2019 3:36:14 PM PDT by NicknamedBob (If you can't do something well, you won't do anything good.)
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To: NicknamedBob

I don’t think we’re really looking that hard.


5,883 posted on 05/05/2019 4:23:12 PM PDT by Tax-chick ("The villain is not the market but the state." ~ Jonah Goldberg)
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To: NicknamedBob; fanfan; ColdOne; Cyber Liberty; null and void; Tax-chick; Anoreth; Monkey Face; ...

5,884 posted on 05/06/2019 3:10:12 AM PDT by Tax-chick ("The villain is not the market but the state." ~ Jonah Goldberg)
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To: Tax-chick; Monkey Face; NicknamedBob; NoCmpromiz; null and void; no-to-illegals; Silentgypsy; ...

Good morning. Happy Monday.

A post-kitteh is not quite the same as a post-turtle.

Be careful if you try to help it. It most certainly knows what it is doing.

Even if it doesn’t.


5,885 posted on 05/06/2019 5:34:42 AM PDT by ArGee (Celebrate diversity! Excellence is out.)
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To: Tax-chick

I kind of hit the ground running this morning, so I was nearly out the door when you posted the Morning Floof.

The floof has obviously taken part of the spider plant to his lair to finish it off! Yay!

The laundry is done, and I will watch another episode of New Tricks, and then I’ll get busy in here, trying to make the place presentable by the time New Nephew and his wife show up. Whenever that is. This month, “some time....”

Tomorrow is Beaker’s nose job again, but I think I may have to change the visits to quarterly. Her beak just grows too fast to go that extra month. But in in the chaos of the funeral, it slipped my mind.


5,886 posted on 05/06/2019 5:35:57 AM PDT by Monkey Face (Never be afraid to try new things.Remember: Amateurs built the ark..professionals built the Titanic.)
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To: ArGee

Good morning. It is Monday, indeed. Only two more to go before Friday Eve!

:o])


5,887 posted on 05/06/2019 5:37:17 AM PDT by Monkey Face (Never be afraid to try new things.Remember: Amateurs built the ark..professionals built the Titanic.)
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To: ArGee

Happy Monday. Kitteh has teeth and claws.


5,888 posted on 05/06/2019 5:42:57 AM PDT by Tax-chick ("The villain is not the market but the state." ~ Jonah Goldberg)
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To: Monkey Face

Good morning! Congratulations on your success!

I took Pat to school. He has final exams today. He also has an assignment to be pleasantly determined at the registrar’s window until he gets his registration (for next semester) confirmed.

Later, I need to buy more crickets for the lizards and get gas in the van and, like, other stuff. Monday. Gah.


5,889 posted on 05/06/2019 5:45:10 AM PDT by Tax-chick ("The villain is not the market but the state." ~ Jonah Goldberg)
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To: Tax-chick

I may actually get something done today. And maybe tomorrow as well.

My mother was a clutterer. When I allow things to just sit, I begin to feel like I still lived with my mother and I then I just. have. to. clean. *sheesh* My excuse, of course, is CFIDS/ME, but it bothers me just the same.

She was always poorly because of her heart so we always had a “housekeeper.” She kept house for my maternal granddad, and when he passed away, my mother inherited her. I don’t have her. But I sure wish I did. Then she could make me some cinnamon rolls when I get depressed. :o]


5,890 posted on 05/06/2019 6:03:08 AM PDT by Monkey Face (Never be afraid to try new things.Remember: Amateurs built the ark..professionals built the Titanic.)
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To: Monkey Face

Tom the Son makes cinnamon rolls, as well as other baked goods. I showed a picture of Tom and his pumpkin pies to one of the other Envirothon moms, and now she wants to set him up with her stepdaughter, who likes large young men with long hair and desserts.

It’s a weird old world out there!


5,891 posted on 05/06/2019 6:07:37 AM PDT by Tax-chick ("The villain is not the market but the state." ~ Jonah Goldberg)
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To: Monkey Face
But in in the chaos of the funeral, it slipped my mind.

I don't know about you, but I have a theory that my mind gets more grease every year and more things slip in it.

5,892 posted on 05/06/2019 6:22:41 AM PDT by ArGee (Celebrate diversity! Excellence is out.)
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To: ArGee

I like this theory.

I’m going to call Petsmart now and see if they have crickets in stock.


5,893 posted on 05/06/2019 6:41:57 AM PDT by Tax-chick ("The villain is not the market but the state." ~ Jonah Goldberg)
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To: Tax-chick; Monkey Face

I appear to be fostering a stray tuxedo kitten that we found in our yard yesterday. She’s in Winston’s dog crate here in my office, keeping me company.

She was found with our resident stray, Tux; I suspect he brought her to us.

The girls are less than amused by this turn of events.


5,894 posted on 05/06/2019 7:34:22 AM PDT by Not A Snowbird (I trust President Trump.)
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To: Not A Snowbird; Monkey Face

I hope you find a home for the new kitten before your permanent cats get too upset with you.

We got our crickets and refused the blandishments of all the rescue-cats and baby dragons.


5,895 posted on 05/06/2019 7:45:32 AM PDT by Tax-chick ("The villain is not the market but the state." ~ Jonah Goldberg)
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To: Tax-chick; Monkey Face

The local cat rescue is closed today, so I’ll have her at least until then. I’ve gotten a few responses on our neighborhood board from people who are interested in adopting (who wouldn’t want a sweet tuxedo kitten?) and I have fliers on the mailboxes.

She’ll end up in a good place!


5,896 posted on 05/06/2019 7:54:35 AM PDT by Not A Snowbird (I trust President Trump.)
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To: Not A Snowbird

I love tuxedo cats. One wandered into the yard 4 years ago. Very feral. Stayed hidden in the bushes for almost a year. Fortunately it had already been neutered by the Friends of Feral Felines. (It’s ear was clipped.)

I thought it was a female the first couple of years. Then one day while he was grooming himself it was clear he was a he. He allows me to pet him now and he loves being brushed but I’d never try to pick him up.


5,897 posted on 05/06/2019 8:01:52 AM PDT by ladyjane
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To: ladyjane; Not A Snowbird

We’ve occasionally had an extra cat try to move in on us, but we discourage them.


5,898 posted on 05/06/2019 8:05:25 AM PDT by Tax-chick ("The villain is not the market but the state." ~ Jonah Goldberg)
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To: Tax-chick

For now, I’d settle for a House Elf, not necessarily named “Dobby,” who could do some cleaning while I slept. But I don’t. And the closest I get to making cinnamon rolls is to buy Rhodes, since I don’t have a stand mixer that could handle mixing doughs. Otherwise, on “good” days, I could make my own cinnamon rolls. It would be Baking Therapy. ;o]

Maybe one of these times, before Christmas... Then I could have homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas day!!!


5,899 posted on 05/06/2019 8:41:18 AM PDT by Monkey Face (Never be afraid to try new things.Remember: Amateurs built the ark..professionals built the Titanic.)
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To: ArGee; Tax-chick
...I have a theory that my mind gets more grease every year and more things slip in it.

I like that theory, as well. :o])

*tagline*

5,900 posted on 05/06/2019 8:43:43 AM PDT by Monkey Face (Eat a bullfrog first thing in the morning and nothing worse can happen to you the rest of the day!)
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