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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

Lol, I agree.


6,141 posted on 05/15/2019 1:14:04 PM PDT by Tax-chick (Be like Kendrick, Brendan, and Riley.)
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To: HKMk23

Putting in on a gyroscope didn’t sound like a viable option lol! If the periodic surveys aren’t every five seconds, I’d stick alarms all over the base to announce when it’s out of kilter.


6,142 posted on 05/15/2019 1:46:04 PM PDT by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: Monkey Face

Happy Birthday, and many, many more!


6,143 posted on 05/15/2019 1:48:57 PM PDT by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: Darksheare

Had to look up GI Joe cartoons. Timeline explains it. I didn’t have a life until 2008. Sounds like I would have enjoyed them. As an aside, my childhood role models were Wonder Woman and Scrooge McDuck.


6,144 posted on 05/15/2019 1:54:28 PM PDT by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: Tax-chick

Did you get to play ball with Eddie?


6,145 posted on 05/15/2019 1:55:42 PM PDT by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: ArGee

My Aunt Helen only remembered the clean ones (a characteristic she passed on to some of us).


6,146 posted on 05/15/2019 1:59:41 PM PDT by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: Monkey Face

Happy Birthday!


6,147 posted on 05/15/2019 2:02:00 PM PDT by Covenantor (Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern. " Chesterton)
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To: ArGee

I bet Heaven is different for each soul!


6,148 posted on 05/15/2019 2:03:27 PM PDT by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: Silentgypsy; ArGee

Just saying Thank You for including me in your ping list. Thank You Both


6,149 posted on 05/15/2019 2:31:01 PM PDT by no-to-illegals (Liberals, Rinos, moslems, illegals, lamestream media. All want Americfa to fail and die)
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To: null and void; Monkey Face
Thanks Nully. I would not have known

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ‘Face.

6,150 posted on 05/15/2019 2:34:10 PM PDT by no-to-illegals (Liberals, Rinos, moslems, illegals, lamestream media. All want Americfa to fail and die)
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To: Silentgypsy

A little. He enjoys chewing up sticks more.


6,151 posted on 05/15/2019 2:40:34 PM PDT by Tax-chick (Be like Kendrick, Brendan, and Riley.)
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To: no-to-illegals

You are a remarkably kind person.


6,152 posted on 05/15/2019 3:29:51 PM PDT by Silentgypsy (Call an addiction hotline and say you're hooked on phonics.)
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To: ArGee; HKMk23
"Also, it sounds like this does more of what he built in his basement when he wanted to create a new element, not what he built in that cave."

Yeah, I know. Poetic license.

I think I should use that excuse every time I get caught.

6,153 posted on 05/15/2019 3:35:53 PM PDT by NicknamedBob (If you can't do something well, you won't do anything good.)
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To: Silentgypsy

Thank You


6,154 posted on 05/15/2019 3:36:56 PM PDT by no-to-illegals (Liberals, Rinos, moslems, illegals, lamestream media. All want Americfa to fail and die)
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To: Silentgypsy

I remember many cartoons, some funny, some not, others just... Ugh.

But that episode of GI Joe was funny.
As was the in cartoon ad for “frozen fudgies”.

“Pyramid of darkness” episode, in the original...
Quick Kick: Frozen fudgies/ what a treat/ lots of chocolate/ really sweet/ full of taffy, raisins and nuts/ that melts in your mouth /and turns to lead in your guts.


6,155 posted on 05/15/2019 4:52:55 PM PDT by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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To: Tax-chick; fanfan; ColdOne; Cyber Liberty; null and void; Anoreth; Monkey Face; ...

Tiny kitten rescued from the street.

6,156 posted on 05/16/2019 2:19:12 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Be like Kendrick, Brendan, and Riley.)
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To: Tax-chick

The Morning Floof is a beautiful Tiny Kitten!! And it looks like he has a “soffee.”

Both doors are open to get the cool morning air, and if I feel up to it later on, I’ll move the fan in the bedroom closer to the window. Because of what I have in mind, it may take upwards of an hour but the result will be good for both the bedroom and the living room.

And in the next few weeks, I’m going to start looking for a desk. I need more desk top area for things so I’m not so crowded and prone to clutter.


6,157 posted on 05/16/2019 4:20:51 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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To: Monkey Face

Good morning. Immediately after the kitteh post, I went to feed Eddie the Rottweiler. We’ll go back at 11 for his walk. After that, I’ll text his family to see whether they’ll get home before 4.

We have a campout this weekend, so there’s a lot to do today.

Drama Queen says she’s going out with her friends today. No progress has been made on her enormous mess. If it’s not clean when we get home from the campout, I’ll be delivering her rent bill. I’ve put it off, waiting to see if she’ll turn into a tidy houseguest.


6,158 posted on 05/16/2019 4:42:54 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Be like Kendrick, Brendan, and Riley.)
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To: Silentgypsy

That sounds lonely.


6,159 posted on 05/16/2019 6:06:33 AM PDT by ArGee (Celebrate diversity! Excellence is out.)
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To: NicknamedBob
Yeah, I know. Poetic license.

I had my poetic license suspended for being too literal.

6,160 posted on 05/16/2019 6:07:36 AM PDT by ArGee (Celebrate diversity! Excellence is out.)
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