Pentagon’s pursuit of insect-delivered genetic modification of crops prompts warnings

An international team of researchers and lawyers is sounding the alarm about a US government programme that is developing genetically modified viruses that would be dispersed into the environment using insects. The insects would then infect the plants with the viruses enabling gene editing of crops in fields. The work by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (Darpa) could be seen as an attempt to develop a new class of bioweapon for hostile or offensive purposes, and prompt other nations to pursue retaliatory research in the agricultural arena, they warn.