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 ...
Someone in the building is aware that she sold the bike to the people in the other apartment. I guess she didn’t feel like she needed to share that tidbit with us.
Which takes me back to my grandfather’s old vaudville show and Kansas City Kate saying, “A tidbit. A tidbit. Don’t you know what a tidbit is?” Toby replies, “No, but I know a calf that got the tar kicked out of him for trying it once.”
And congratulations-to her and her parents.
Good point.
Ballet or bank?
W000t!
Good job!
;o]
Ballet.
Well, I guess I can make plans to move to Amazon, soon.
Thanks. I keep trying to get the stylist to fix my hair so it won’t show.
Mibs.
While I was talking to Charlie this morning, I realized that the people who are in charge of this place really do NOT care about the residents. Ten days before Thanksgiving, they close down the clubhouse, so the residents can’t take their dinners and a few drinks and watch the games together.
Cold, unfeeling, greedy people in charge. That’s just disgusting.
Oh, now I get it.
I haven’t thought of that in many years.
Is there any possibility they do that so families can rent the place out for Thanksgiving events?
My grandparents lived at places where they had a clubhouse, and our family several times booked those places for reunions, birthdays, anniversaries — just because...
IS that closure just a “by prior arrangement only” thing, or is the place completely closed down, cold and dark?
Nope. Nothing is left inside, as of today. No TV, no restrooms, and nothing to sit on. They are going to start "reconstruction" as early as "tomorrow." Like I said: They don't care. We can all go to casinos or the Eagle's Club across the street, since we all have cars, drivers licences and have no need of canes, wheelchairs, oxygen devices an other such unnecessary accouterments. We all have families to take us in for the holidays, dontchaknow?
Back then SNL was funny...
So funny. Kitty looks like our Maris.
“Is dis fud? Dis no smell like fud. Is dis snek? Dis no do wiggly stuff like snek.”
Squeeful floof! Thanks!
Good morning. Miracles don’t cease, even in my life. I actually got an invitation to go to St George for Thanksgiving dinner. But wait, there’s more.
The sister that hasn’t spoken to me in over five years (almost six) called me last night to ask me to come to Mesquite and she would drive us to her daughter’s house for dinner.
In reflecting on that odd call this morning, I realized that it was most likely prompted by the fact that she was coming back from Laughlin yesterday morning and saw the remains of a fatal accident, where a car went under the back end of a semi-rig and took out the two rear axles. It no doubt reminded her of the car accident I was in that I would not have survived had it not been for some friends of mine at the VFW club.
The reason why doesn’t matter, I guess, because I’m awfully glad she called me and talked as if nothing had happened and no time had lapsed since the last time we talked almost six years ago.
Of course, I can’t go. I don’t think the tires would survive high-speeds for 85 miles because of the dry rot, and my portable nebulizer isn’t working. I need another before I can go anywhere, including a move, because I would need it between here and “there” when I got the bedroom stuff unpacked.
So I’ll call her today and let her know. Besides. I’m already planning to have the day with Charlie. Maybe that should have been first, but he just considers it “another day.”
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