SBu
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2013
- Messages
- 1,523
- Reaction score
- 636
- Location
- Washington State
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Centrist
An Oxford affiliated firm has bio-engineered a form of mosquito that is able to reduce the overall population of mosquito in the wild.
The male versions of this mosquito, when introduced to the wild, mate with their wild female counterparts, but due to the genetic modification the larvae somehow die off or produce incapable offspring. Additionally, these genetically modified males don't bite humans like their wild female counterparts. So the net affect is that the overall population of mosquitoes goes down, as well as mosquito borne illness transmitted to humans. This has been clinically tested in Brazil and the Cayman Islands.
This is revolutionary and a game changer. But not everyone is on board... In hippie bastion Key West, scientifically maladjusted hippies have cried foul rushing to sign petitions on 'change.org' and no doubt a lie laden article from 'truth.org' is forthcoming, in an effort to stop this marvel of modern science from benefiting their population.
What do you think? Isn't this what Science is supposed to do? Do the hippies have a point? Isn't it fun how members of both political ideologies continually disregard science (conservatives out of skepticism, and liberals out of fear)?
My personal take is that this is awesome. Think of all of the countries with significant mosquito problems that could benefit. I'm not sure what Key West's problem with mosquitoes is, but I can probably think of a better place than there to test these mosquitoes, especially given the local opposition.
Florida Keys: Sunshine, blue skies and genetically-modified mosquitoes? - The Washington Post
The male versions of this mosquito, when introduced to the wild, mate with their wild female counterparts, but due to the genetic modification the larvae somehow die off or produce incapable offspring. Additionally, these genetically modified males don't bite humans like their wild female counterparts. So the net affect is that the overall population of mosquitoes goes down, as well as mosquito borne illness transmitted to humans. This has been clinically tested in Brazil and the Cayman Islands.
This is revolutionary and a game changer. But not everyone is on board... In hippie bastion Key West, scientifically maladjusted hippies have cried foul rushing to sign petitions on 'change.org' and no doubt a lie laden article from 'truth.org' is forthcoming, in an effort to stop this marvel of modern science from benefiting their population.
What do you think? Isn't this what Science is supposed to do? Do the hippies have a point? Isn't it fun how members of both political ideologies continually disregard science (conservatives out of skepticism, and liberals out of fear)?
My personal take is that this is awesome. Think of all of the countries with significant mosquito problems that could benefit. I'm not sure what Key West's problem with mosquitoes is, but I can probably think of a better place than there to test these mosquitoes, especially given the local opposition.
Florida Keys: Sunshine, blue skies and genetically-modified mosquitoes? - The Washington Post