Scientists fear US military will try to turn insects into weapons

NEW YORK – A US Army research group is studying the possibility of deploying insects to make plants more resilient by modifying their genes. Some experts say that this work could be considered as a potential biological weapon.

In an opinion piece published Thursday in the journal Science, the authors indicate that the United States must better justify the purpose of its project Insects Allies in peacetime, in order to avoid the risk of death. be perceived as hostile to other countries. Other experts shared their concerns about the ethics and safety of research, which aims to transmit protective features to growing crops.

This would mark a change from the current widely used procedure of genetic modification of seeds for crops such as corn and soybeans, before they become plants.

The military research agency says its goal is to protect the country's food supply from threats such as drought, crop diseases and bioterrorism by using insects to infect plants with viruses that protect them.

"Food security is national security," said Blake Bextine, who heads the two-year-old Advanced Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) project, which is a branch of the US Department of Defense.

The State Department stated that the project had peaceful aims and did not violate the Biological Weapons Convention. The US Department of Agriculture said its scientists were part of the research, which is conducted in confined laboratories.

The technology could work in different ways. In the first phase, aphids – tiny insects that feed by sucking the sap of plants – plants infected with a virus that temporarily caused a stroke. But researchers are also trying to see if viruses can alter the plant's genes to make them resistant to hazards.

Nevertheless, the research raises concerns.

"They're talking about the massive release of genetic modifications through insects," said Gregory Kaebnick, an ethicist at the Hastings Center's Bioethics Research Institute in Garrison, New York, who studied genetic modification. It was not part of the scientific paper, but stated that allied insect technology could be destructive.

Kaebnick asked how viruses and insects carrying them could be controlled. "When you talk about very small things – insects and microbes – it may be impossible to remove them" once they are introduced into farmers' fields, he said.

Dr. David Relman, professor of medicine and microbiology at Stanford, who advised the Obama administration on bio-defense but is not part of DARPA's research, said the project could be a long-standing fear that enemy countries seek to harm their crops. .

Also according to Relman, this technology could potentially help farmers fight a "pest virus moving in the plains" or protect crops from bioterrorism. As insects often spread crop diseases, Mr. Relman said DARPA was trying to use the biology of these insects to "recruit them as allies" in the propagation of protective traits.

DARPA has contributed to the development of the Internet and its mission is to search for new technologies potentially essential. The agency announced the project Insect Allies in 2016.

Guy Reeves, co-author of the Science and Biology article at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Germany, said that technology was more practical as a weapon – to kill plants – than as an agricultural tool . As a result, he said that DARPA could send an alarming message, regardless of its intentions.

"It's really how it's perceived," he said.

European newspaper writers say that the mere announcement of the program may have motivated other countries to develop their own capabilities in the field. In their view, the project also highlights the need to further discuss the regulatory and ethical concerns of these developing technologies.

Todd Kuiken, a senior researcher at North Carolina State University, said he did not think the military intended to attack another country with insects. But he said that it seemed unfortunate that DARPA is funding the project.

"The mere fact that it would be a military program would naturally raise such issues," said Kuiken, who raised concerns similar to those published in Science last year. .

Tom Inglesby, professor of environmental health engineering and engineering at Johns Hopkins, said the technology is developed specifically to protect crops. But he acknowledged that it could be misused.

It can be expected that a new technology can be militarized, even if that is not the intention, said Paul Thompson, professor of agriculture and ethics at Michigan State University, who sits on the board. Advisory Board.

"Once you've made that kind of breakthrough, you're in a new world. It is a morally ambiguous place. You wonder, "Is this something we should never do?", He said.

Some experts questioned whether the ambitious goals of the project were achievable.

The entomologist at North Carolina State University, Fred Gould, who chaired a National Academy of Sciences committee on genetically modified foods and is not part of DARPA research, said that too many Biological interactions should be handled to perfection. close to zero. "

It may never work, but Relman said DARPA's role was to explore "the vanguard of hard work" to anticipate future threats.

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Borenstein was reported in Washington, D.C.

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