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[entremet]

That's a new form of pest control lol.

Trials are starting in Florida!

http://www.popsci.com/mosquitoes-designed-self-destruct

Every year, mosquitoes infect 400 million people with dengue fever, causing severe headaches and joint pain. Since a 2009 outbreak in Key West, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District has spent $1 million a year to try to curb the primary vector: Aedes aegypti. Last July, another mosquito-borne virus reached U.S. shores: chikungunya. Now officials are considering a radical—and highly controversial—approach to control the spread of tropical disease: genetically modified mosquitoes.

1. The Aedes aegypti mosquito thrives in urban settings and is highly resistant to insecticide. Plus it almost exclusively bites people. “It has successfully spread around the world on the back of human transport,” says Andy McKemey of insect-control company Oxitec. “It is the rat of the insect world.”

2. To keep populations in check, Oxitec genetically modified the insects. They injected mosquito eggs with synthetic DNA that codes for a self-limiting gene. This doesn’t kill the mosquitoes outright, but it prevents their offspring from reaching adulthood to mate.

3. “We release sufficient numbers of males to out-compete locals,” McKemey says, “and that gene is passed to their progeny.” Then additional releases of modified moquitoes ensure that the wild populations are diminished enough to no longer pose a threat.

 

[OctoMan]

Man that's awesome. Kill all mosquitos

 

[Veritigo_X]

Florida...
Injecting mosquito eggs with synthetic DNA...
Releasing sufficient numbers...

This is going to end badly.

 

[johnnyfive]

Man that's awesome. Kill all mosquitos

and then the bats won't have anything to eat...

the people are scratching, all over the street...

 

[Ozigizo]

Florida...
Injecting mosquito eggs with synthetic DNA...
Releasing sufficient numbers...

This is going to end badly.

Basically the plot of Species except with Florida Man.

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

YEAH, Fuck Mozzies!
They love me, love me, love me and it's hellish and i only have to deal with bites and reactions not bloody Dengue Fever! Luckily this year i haven't seen many around at all but i keep my mozzie net on my bed regardless.

Mosquito Defence Force ain't going to ruin my buzz from this news, no chance.

 

[pj]

I'd rather deploy a couple million of these

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD_eIutuGtE

 

[GregLombardi]

Back in the day, I would say this was great.

Knowing what I know now about why the world is the way it is, I am concerned that somehow, some way, this leads to the Zombie apocalypse. They are there for a reason.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Florida...
Injecting mosquito eggs with synthetic DNA...
Releasing sufficient numbers...

This is going to end badly.

Dave Johnston was just a normal man, but then he walked out of his house and got bit my a mosquito!

The bite seemed innocuous at first, but as time went on he started to notice something, his DNA had chaaaaaaaaaanged

Florida Man, FLORIDA MAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!

 

[John Kowalski]

2. To keep populations in check, Oxitec genetically modified the insects. They injected mosquito eggs with synthetic DNA that codes for a self-limiting gene. This doesn’t kill the mosquitoes outright, but it prevents their offspring from reaching adulthood to mate.

 

[outunderthestars]

This doesn't seem like it would work very well.

A fascinating idea, but I have serious doubts as to the effectiveness it would have.

 

[Vagabundo]

What could go wrong? The plan sounds perfect.

 

[Drazgul]

Back in the day, I would say this was great.

Knowing what I know now about why the world is the way it is, I am concerned that somehow, some way, this leads to the Zombie apocalypse. They are there for a reason.

I'll take zombies over mosquitos any day. FUCK mosquitos.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Sounds Great

KILL ALL MOSQUITOS

Plus havent they been doing this in Africa for awhile now?

Does it actually work?

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Didn't we just have this thread?

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Genophage?

What could POSSIBLY go wrong in longer period of time whent the mosquitoes population dies and is removed from the food chain?!?

 

[DrROBschiz]

This doesn't seem like it would work very well.

A fascinating idea, but I have serious doubts as to the effectiveness it would have.

Sounds effective if it actually works

I just cant imagine the cost of creating enough of these modified males to make a big enough impact

Genophage?

What could POSSIBLY go wrong in longer period of time whent the mosquitoes population dies and is removed from the food chain?!?

NOTHING

Maybe the fish that eat the eggs? But hell they clearly arent doing their job well enough.

 

[Stet]

That's a new form of pest control lol.

Trials are starting in Florida!

http://www.popsci.com/mosquitoes-designed-self-destruct

It's not new at all. We successfully eradicated the screw fly in 1982 using a similar method.

 

[Timeaisis]

Yeah, let's release more mosquitoes into the wild. That's the solution.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Yeah, let's release more mosquitoes into the wild. That's the solution.

Male mosquitos..... MALE mosquitos

Cmon man

 

[KarneeKarnay]

Just because you can do something doesn't really mean you should. This seems like a dumb way to approach the problem. Granted it could be cheaper, but the amount of variables and repercussions that could occur have to be taken account.

And there is no way in Lab conditions they could have simulate that.

 

[CDX]

Good, kill all the species of mosquitoes that bite and spread disease in humans. They can leave all the other mosquito species though.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Just because you can do something doesn't really mean you should. This seems like a dumb way to approach the problem. Granted it could be cheaper, but the amount of variables and repercussions that could occur have to be taken account.

And there is no way in Lab conditions they could have simulate that.

Thats why you experiment and try things at smaller scales

We have already been doing this for awhile. Its a worthwhile cause if it works and just a failed experiment if it doesnt.

 

[Sulik2]

My main issue with this is mosquitos are a really important part of the food chain for a lot of animals. What happens if their population crashes?

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Good. Mosquitoes are a huge disease vector.

 

[DrROBschiz]

My main issue with this is mosquitos are a really important part of the food chain for a lot of animals. What happens if their population crashes?

Outside of the few aquatic animals that eat the eggs (and mosquitoes are more likely to drop eggs in isolated pools to avoid this) I dont see what other animals in the chain that couldnt survive without mosquitos

 

[KarneeKarnay]

Thats why you experiment and try things at smaller scales

We have already been doing this for awhile. Its a worthwhile cause if it works and just a failed experiment if it doesnt.

If they are going to treat with the extended lab testing period it requires then I have no problem with that.

 

[massoluk]

Mosquito are still part of ecological system people :\
#notallmosquitoes

 

[Timeaisis]

Thats why you experiment and try things at smaller scales

We have already been doing this for awhile. Its a worthwhile cause if it works and just a failed experiment if it doesnt.

That would negatively effect the people living in the Florida keys.

 

[Fenderputty]

and then the bats won't have anything to eat...

the people are scratching, all over the street...

Yeah ... humans fucking with ecological balance .... probably not good.

 

[DrROBschiz]

If they are going to treat with the extended lab testing period it requires then I have no problem with that.

The bigger issue in my mind is cost, scale, and continued efforts

I mean you would need millions of altered males to make an impact and you would have to continuously release them during projected breeding cycles.

Sounds very challenging but also much more promising than our current methods

 

[BigDug13]

Mosquito are still part of ecological system people :
#notallmosquitoes

Not this breed we are talking about that is arriving in regions it was not a part of.

 

[GreatestHits]

Yep. Exactly. Gotta love all these human beings that are ready to play god. Fucking morons

 

[Woody Invincible]

Stay winning Mordin.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Are people being serious in this thread?

Our planet would be a better place without mosquitoes

 

[Stet]

Yep. Exactly. Gotta love all these human beings that are ready to play god. Fucking morons

Or maybe don't take your moral cues from a video game.

 

[entremet]

It's not new at all. We successfully eradicated the screw fly in 1982 using a similar method.

Didn't know. Pretty interesting.

 

[mantidor]

Florida...
Injecting mosquito eggs with synthetic DNA...
Releasing sufficient numbers...

This is going to end badly.

It's like they didn't watch Mimic.

 

[Oppo]

I think we had a thread about the tech on this already... nice to see they are moving forward. Despite the mewling cries of WE WILL WRECK THE BIOME, O GOD, MAN'S HUBRIS etc etc this is fairly controlled and seriously a super-good idea.

Or maybe don't take your moral cues from a video game.

felt that zing from here

 

[GK86]

I don't trust Florida with science.

 

[entremet]

I don't trust Florida with science.

I don't think the company is Florida based. Florida is just one of the first to use their technology for mosquitos.

Didn't we just have this thread?

I searched for mosquito and found nothing. Maybe it was titled something else.

 

[DrROBschiz]

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a.html?a

Many experts agree that the ecological impact of their removal from existence would be minimal

Ultimately, there seem to be few things that mosquitoes do that other organisms can't do just as well — except perhaps for one. They are lethally efficient at sucking blood from one individual and mainlining it into another, providing an ideal route for the spread of pathogenic microbes.

 

[ezrarh]

This doesn't seem like it would work very well.

A fascinating idea, but I have serious doubts as to the effectiveness it would have.

Except this has already been tested in other countries. I think people are having a knee-jerk reaction to this. That's why this is being tested, it's not like they're suddenly putting this everywhere in the country all at once. You don't even need to wipe out all the mosquitoes, just have to target areas where people actually live.

 

[Coriolanus]

People tripping over themselves on just world fallacy in this thread.

 

[Bloodrage]

My main issue with this is mosquitos are a really important part of the food chain for a lot of animals. What happens if their population crashes?

They are also the leading cause of most human deaths.

 

[FStop7]

Are people being serious in this thread?

Our planet would be a better place without mosquitoes

A lot of people just assume that since mosquitos are so prevalent that they must have a valuable function in nature. It's not really a bad assumption to make, though apparently it's incorrect.

My main issue with this is mosquitos are a really important part of the food chain for a lot of animals. What happens if their population crashes?

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a.html

 

[Garlador]

Having been plagued with mosquitoes recently in my neighborhood, to the point of looking like I just suffered the chicken pox after a walk despite practically bathing in insect repellent, I'll shed no tears for the eventual demise and hopeful extinction of the worst thing to ever happen to the insect kingdom.

... At least bees and spiders are useful, you blood-sucking abominations.

 

[Stet]

They are also the leading cause of most human deaths.

And not just humans either. They carry heartworm for dogs, encephalitis for horses, and spread West Nile virus from bird to bird and bird to mammal.

 

[GreatestHits]

Or maybe don't take your moral cues from a video game.

lmao

 

[Orbis Tabula]

Bad. Ass.