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 ...
I fed the cats, organized the recyclables and figured out what’s wrong with the camera and resolved it.
I went to Walmart, bought the things on my list, and brought them home. Then I took a nap.
I watched movies and did some more “therapy.”
Now, I’m going to bed because its cold and I hurt. See all y’all in the morning. Where it will no doubt be cold and rainy again. :o[
Well it’s raining so I didn’t mow.
I went to Aldi’s instead. Does that count?
They don’t seem related. I’m making supper now.
Correlation doesn’t necessarily imply causation, so there’s always that.
The Morning Floof looks like he wants to stay asleep.
Good morning, and thanks for the Floofy!
Strange night. Just as I got ready to settle down and sleep, I heard a text alert and my first response was not to check who it was. It was my son, with a photo of himself holding a book by Edd China of Grease Junkies, British TV! My son had entered a contest and his name was chosen, so he got an autographed copy.
He said he had to laugh because when Edd was about five or six, his mother bought a cuckoo clock and Edd asked her if he could take it apart. I had a little boy about the same age when I got my first cuckoo clock who asked me the same thing!! We both laughed at that!!
Anyway, I woke up about two hours later and there was a text from my daughter, showing her latest hockey shirt and another text from the niece I stayed with in AZ, showing me the photo I had sent her. It was taken at the reception of her parent’s wedding, (my recently departed brother) and she had never seen it before. I was happy I could give it to her, as her mother had passed away when the niece was about five.
Thankfully, nothing more happened and I was able to go back to sleep after about 90 minutes. Ungh.
So here we are with another morning. I lacked enough yarn to finish the last 10” of edging on my replacement shawl, and I decided that rather than buy another skein and use only about a yard and a half, I’d take out the edging and only put the picots on the bottom edge. Now what else to I make? Another shawl? A stole? I haven’t decided. Finding a pattern I like is the hard part.
Have fun looking for a pattern! I need to take the van to the shop. The brakes seemed a little squirrelly last night. I can take James and Vlad for camp physicals in the same trip.
Looking for a pattern is tedious. Most of them are tasteless and not feminine at all. I’m not a “frills and lace” kinda gal, but neither am I “business suit and severe hair styles.” I want something feminine but tastefully so.
There is a pile of papers to be filed, but I’ll wait for the sun to come up. I need the extra light.
And then, I’ll head for the DMV. I WILL pass this time!!
I’m sure you will! Our local clinic has gone back to 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. hours. I guess they didn’t get enough business to justify being open 24/7. I’ll go to their website and see how busy it is before we decide to go.
If Vlad will get out of the bathroom before I die of old age ...
The main emergency facility here is only open 0800 to 2100, and the ambulance ride to St George is $5000.
When I get back from DMV I have a passel of phone calls to make. I’ve been putting them off, mostly because when I’m not feeling well, its difficult for me to make myself understood and to understand what’s being said. I also have to cancel Friday’s PT session because I have Gonzo’s pedicure scheduled at the same time, and he comes first. If I can catch him.
Anyway, no movies or handcrafts until the calls are made.
Anyhoo...
I did that before I moved here, but this place doesn’t have the storage space that the place in Hooterville had, so I got rid of more stuff after I got here. I suppose I’ll get rid of more of it before the summer is over.
One of the nice things about liberalville is that they really support recycling. I can walk any electrical junk I want to up to Best Buy and hand it to their Customer Service people (without waiting in line) and they take it for sorting and recycling for free - I don't have to pay $10 and get a $10 Best Buy gift card like other locales. . All plastic goes into the bins regardless of number. (I think they pay illegals $2/hour to sort it, but I don't know that for sure.) The effort to avoid hording is going to be much harder when we leave NYC.
COL! (Chuckle out loud)
Happy Wednesday/Tuesday all. I’m off to the races again.
Taking over has really cut down my ability to check up on events.
You should get a phony snake you can shove under the door crack.
Happy Monday III to you, ArGee. I’m glad to see you again. I mean, see that you’re posting again.
How was your long weekend? I was actually able to fly the flag again, thanks to the manager. He had a spare bracket and attached it to my apartment. It was nice to see the Stars and Stripes wave in the breeze!
When is your target date for moving, and what state are you moving to? Do you have a job to go to? Or is it retirement? (Don’t answer if its none of my business.)
Anyway, best of luck!
He would just give it a name and make it a friend.
Have fun at work!
No word on the van, but I got the boys’ physicals for camp done and delivered some kitten food to the local SPCA.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.