Signs and Wonders

Manhattanites stroll in t-shirts as temperatures hit 72 degrees; the next day the region is bathed in a foul smell, like methane. In Austin Texas, scores of birds drop dead from the sky, littering the streets; men in space suits close and scour a 10 block area of downtown. Causes remain mysteries.

Defense Department Funding Weaponized Suicide Gene?

The New Scientist reports on Defense Dept funded efforts to discover lethal genes:
'"There must be some DNA or protein sequences that are not compatible with life, perhaps because they bind some essential cellular component, for example, and have therefore been selected out of circulation. There may also be some that are lethal in some species, but not others. We're looking for those sequences.'
...Hampikian believes the applications of his work could be wide-ranging. He has already received a $1 million grant from the US Department of Defense...
"...there is the possibility of constructing a "suicide gene" to code for deadly amino acid primes. It could be attached to genetically modified organisms and activated to destroy them at a later date if they turned out to be dangerous, Hampikian suggests" New Scientist Jan 07