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 ...
Kitteh is gonna get sumfing!
Good morning.
It’s morning, and I’m cold. Again. I have to go to Vegas this morning, and I really don’t want to. At least my truck will be warm.
Good morning. Don’t be in the area when she pounces!
It’s 68 in my house, refreshing after yesterday afternoon, when it approached 80. We haven’t had to use the new furnace yet. If anyone suggests turning it on, I tell them to put on a jacket!
My local U.S. Representative race is still undecided.
My first impulse is to do a re-count of the votes for the House. Shame on me.
I’m going to take a shower, then clean the cage. My poor little Beaker. She WILL get to the vet today. If I can catch her without being bitten.
Good luck to you and Beaker!
Thanks.
I wish I didn’t have to go in to Vegas. I hate doctor visits because they want me to have tests I don’t need. If I came in with a specific complaint, I would expect them to perform tests for it. But if I go in with no complaints, they still want to test me “because its been a while since the last one.”
This visit is just a follow-up, but it’s taking time away from other things that need to be done. It’s also taking my stamina. I hate when that happens.
It was, most of the time.
The two of us processed nearly 600 people through check in.
Anybody know who won?
Sounds like a pretty busy day.
Congratulations!
Onward into the breach!
And, we made it. I am happy to announce that the leadership of the Flying Castle have all been stuck with their jobs for another term.
Happy Wednesday.
I suspect the votes were accurately counted in LV. Dead people elected a dead candidate. What else do you expect?
It was. We had 20-30 voters standing around waiting for us to get the machines working for the first hour.
That sorta set the tone...
We’re the most technologically-advanced society in the history of the world. Why can’t we build reliable voting machines?
Democrats. Sisolak is your new governor.
Soros made a lot of reliable voting machines. All rigged to process Red votes into Blue ones. Which is why NV got such ugly laws passed and such a meathead for a governor.
I can leave the state any time now, thanks.
But first I’m off to Vegas. Later.
They don’t work if the Poll manager was given the wrong password.
Or more accurately, everything works perfectly until you try to validate the voter smart card, well into the process the card writer fails to write.
OF COURSE there is no ‘wrong password’ warning when you enter it, or for that matter, ever.
That would be silly.
*spit*
Excellent weather, Bob!
Beautiful kitteh! Are those ear mites?
G’orning and Wappy Hensday. Gonna give the goggies their peticures.
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