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 ...
Lolol!
Thank you for that beautiful morning kitteh!
Good morning SG
Howyadoin’, n2i? How are GC’s in progress?
Thanks for asking. GC’s progress toward (soon) looks to be on schedule. We are praying for a week or two weeks tops and praying also for health of mother and child. Prayers to be giving Thanks
That has started here as well. Good idea!
I wish that were true, because if they loved me all that much they would want the best for me. Ain’t happenin’.
Ohmygosh. I hope Tom learns something from this. (I don’t know what is to be learned but I hope he learns it, nevertheless!)
Cute kitteh! We kept our cats in last night.
Back from naptime. The next thing is Frank’s and Kathleen’s swimming lessons, during which I spend some time “water-walking,” which is through rather than upon. My left knee hurts today, so I expect a change in the weather.
Elen is doing “The Crucible” today, tomorrow, and Saturday, according to the schedule. Nice day today, but their forecast says it will be cold and rainy tomorrow.
I think he probably learned something like, “Physics happens,” but he knew that. There were several things he could have done to avoid being there at all - such as giving me the money he owes me! - but there’s nothing to be done about it now.
Looks like the money he owes you will be going towards the deductible in his “lesson.”
I’m having an online “discussion” with iherb.com about my order that was split in two and only one was actually delivered according to the “overnight” I paid for.
My BP was within normal limits yesterday, but I’m willing to bet it isn’t now. Grr-r-r-r!
This last year, I’ve had more problems with iherb.com and its delivery dates and conditions than I’ve had in the last eight years combined. It’s time I find a new company to get my supplements from, I think.
Wise decision.
Prayers for Elen! This is it! At the end she will be a Marine!!!!!!!!!
I am not able to document how this happened, but I do know that, within my lifetime, "I love you" came to mean "You do nice things for me" instead of "I will lay down my life for you."
Uh...yes, that. but when I said "they would want the best for me," it would mean that "I, no matter what, if I love you, would lay down my life for you."
This is how I see the few friends I have here, at Espinoza Terrace. For them, I would. As for my FRiends, there are a lot more of those that I would lay down my life for, than there are at this geographical location.
Because.
Elen will graduate, if only because she is too proud of what she is doing to slack off. She has already taken on the persona of “The few, the proud, the Marines!” so I suspect she is going to surprise herself!
Since I had no naptime, and instead had some online tussles, my body is telling me that its time to let the silly things sort themselves out, while I go in and have a breathing treatment or two.
I tried to find out the co-pay on that test coming up next month, but the telephone CSR sounded like she was in her cups and then she hung up on me. My entire day has been of that ilk, I think.
So I’m going to make like a tree in Spring and leave.
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