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The samples were completely common, the fungus is endemic to the US already and the PhDs are studying them for US institutions to lessen their impact on US crop

The samples were completely common, the fungus is endemic to the US already and the PhDs are studying them for US institutions to lessen their impact on US crops.

mikeyouse 1y ago
Forgot to mention that the press releases make a critical typo that makes them seem extremely nefarious and implies they were planning on some sort of warfare when it’s extremely benign… “While searching one of Liu’s cell phones, they found an article in PDF form titled “2018 Plant Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions.” Authorities said the article specifically referenced Fusarium graminearum as “an example of a destructive disease and pathogen for crops” and is “responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.” But the actual article is about the ‘warfare’ between plants and pathogens in a world with a changing climate as denoted by the hyphen in the title.. “Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions” There is great need for future research to increasingly use dynamic environmental conditions in order to fully understand the multidimensional nature of plant-pathogen interactions and produce disease-resistant crop plants that are resilient to climate change. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29787730/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29787730/
throwawaymaths 1y ago
what the actual fuck? you do not smuggle lab samples in baggies. that is suspicious behavior. you send it through the post and let authorities know you are doing it by declaring it. have people gone mad?
- moralestapia 1y ago
  [flagged]
- mikeyouse 1y ago
  The import process is a bureaucratic nightmare - you don’t send it through the post in any case, lest it get lost for long enough that your samples perish. The more common route is you complete the paperwork, fly with it in your carry-on and declare it all at customs. Having worked in a related field, it certainly wasn’t uncommon for scientists to skip some of the hassle and just not declare their research material. Definitely not ‘proper’ and certainly higher risk to their immigration/visa status if they were foreign nationals, but still not uncommon when the alternative is spending hours in CBP inspections before you spend hours in the normal immigration queue.

The samples were completely common, the fungus is endemic to the US already and the PhDs are studying them for US institutions to lessen their impact on US crops.

mikeyouse 1y ago

Forgot to mention that the press releases make a critical typo that makes them seem extremely nefarious and implies they were planning on some sort of warfare when it’s extremely benign… “While searching one of Liu’s cell phones, they found an article in PDF form titled “2018 Plant Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions.” Authorities said the article specifically referenced Fusarium graminearum as “an example of a destructive disease and pathogen for crops” and is “responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.” But the actual article is about the ‘warfare’ between plants and pathogens in a world with a changing climate as denoted by the hyphen in the title.. “Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions” There is great need for future research to increasingly use dynamic environmental conditions in order to fully understand the multidimensional nature of plant-pathogen interactions and produce disease-resistant crop plants that are resilient to climate change. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29787730/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29787730/

throwawaymaths 1y ago

what the actual fuck? you do not smuggle lab samples in baggies. that is suspicious behavior. you send it through the post and let authorities know you are doing it by declaring it. have people gone mad?

moralestapia 1y ago
[flagged]
mikeyouse 1y ago
The import process is a bureaucratic nightmare - you don’t send it through the post in any case, lest it get lost for long enough that your samples perish. The more common route is you complete the paperwork, fly with it in your carry-on and declare it all at customs. Having worked in a related field, it certainly wasn’t uncommon for scientists to skip some of the hassle and just not declare their research material. Definitely not ‘proper’ and certainly higher risk to their immigration/visa status if they were foreign nationals, but still not uncommon when the alternative is spending hours in CBP inspections before you spend hours in the normal immigration queue.