Project underway that may wipe out malaria by introducing genetically modified mosquitos

[Muse]

Sounds like this may work. Malaria is the most deadly world-wide of the host of diseases passed to humans by mosquitos

This article is currently front page in The New York Times. It should be accessible to all from the following link for 14 days, i.e. until Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023

The Gamble: Can Genetically Modified Mosquitoes End Disease?

Working on a remote island, scientists think they can use genetic engineering to block a malaria-carrying species of mosquito from spreading the disease — and do it in just a few months. But governments are wary.

www.nytimes.com

Mention is made of something I've wondered about. Some things just seem like pests but elimination have a downside. I've wondered if there's an upside to mosquitos. I mean, what? If possible, why not kill off mosquitos entirely, make the whole bunch extinct, every species. They are a pest to more than just humans.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Sounds like this may work. Malaria is the most deadly world-wide of the host of diseases passed to humans by mosquitos

This article is currently front page in The New York Times. It should be accessible to all from the following link for 14 days, i.e. until Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023

The Gamble: Can Genetically Modified Mosquitoes End Disease?

Working on a remote island, scientists think they can use genetic engineering to block a malaria-carrying species of mosquito from spreading the disease — and do it in just a few months. But governments are wary.

www.nytimes.com

Mention is made of something I've wondered about. Some things just seem like pests but elimination have a downside. I've wondered if there's an upside to mosquitos. I mean, what? If possible, why not kill off mosquitos entirely, make the whole bunch extinct, every species. They are a pest to more than just humans.

IIRC nothing predates exclusively on mosquitoes, so there's probably no biological downside to eliminating them.

 

[cytg111]

Sounds like this may work. Malaria is the most deadly world-wide of the host of diseases passed to humans by mosquitos

This article is currently front page in The New York Times. It should be accessible to all from the following link for 14 days, i.e. until Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023

The Gamble: Can Genetically Modified Mosquitoes End Disease?

Working on a remote island, scientists think they can use genetic engineering to block a malaria-carrying species of mosquito from spreading the disease — and do it in just a few months. But governments are wary.

www.nytimes.com

Mention is made of something I've wondered about. Some things just seem like pests but elimination have a downside. I've wondered if there's an upside to mosquitos. I mean, what? If possible, why not kill off mosquitos entirely, make the whole bunch extinct, every species. They are a pest to more than just humans.

If they can make the mosquito immune… How about making me immune? Or is that kind af gene editing in humans considered “unethical” perhaps…

 

[igor_kavinski]

I've wondered if there's an upside to mosquitos. I mean, what? If possible, why not kill off mosquitos entirely, make the whole bunch extinct, every species.

https://www.npr.org/2016/02/19/467395225/mosquitoes-what-are-they-good-for

Everything has a purpose. Question is, do they kill off just the harmful species or every single mosquito in existence? The consequences of the latter possibility may not become evident in our lifetimes but it could be devastating to the future generations. Some species much worse than mosquitos could take their place in the food chain. And we'll be back to square one.

 

[Moonbeam]

If they can make the mosquito immune… How about making me immune? Or is that kind af gene editing in humans considered “unethical” perhaps…

I guess we could breed for sickle-cell anemia.

 

[Moonbeam]

https://www.npr.org/2016/02/19/467395225/mosquitoes-what-are-they-good-for

Everything has a purpose. Question is, do they kill off just the harmful species or every single mosquito in existence? The consequences of the latter possibility may not become evident in our lifetimes but it could be devastating to the future generations. Some species much worse than mosquitos could take their place in the food chain. And we'll be back to square one.

Hawaii was mosquito free until Europeans came.

 

[zinfamous]

this project has been going on for several years now, generally delayed because of Florida Keys NIMBYs that are worried about their precious mosquitoes being wiped out and leading some ecological disaster that will never happen, like some antivaxxer thinking that vaccines will give them autism.

History has never really cured the disease of ignorant humans stalling nearly all progress simply to protect their prideful ignorance about all the world around them.

Those aging Floridan hippies have been suffering regularly from Yellow Fever and even Malaria, but like all old stupid hippies, their eco delusions are always significantly far away from the actual realities of being real stewards of the environment.

There is absolutely no ecological niche anywhere on the planet where mosquitoes fit as an essential anything. They are purely pests for several key species, nothing more.

 

[zinfamous]

If they can make the mosquito immune… How about making me immune? Or is that kind af gene editing in humans considered “unethical” perhaps…

they aren't making mosquitoes immune, they are introducing modified mosquitoes that, when mating with local mosquitoes, generate sterile offspring. It will simply eliminate all mosquitoes in that area after several generations of inter-breeding.

 

[brycejones]

This is just a dry run to doing the same thing to humans through the Bill Gates and George Soros human population reduction foundation.

(next up on your favorite GQP you-tube channel).

 

[Moonbeam]

this project has been going on for several years now, generally delayed because of Florida Keys NIMBYs that are worried about their precious mosquitoes being wiped out and leading some ecological disaster that will never happen, like some antivaxxer thinking that vaccines will give them autism.

History has never really cured the disease of ignorant humans stalling nearly all progress simply to protect their prideful ignorance about all the world around them.

Those aging Floridan hippies have been suffering regularly from Yellow Fever and even Malaria, but like all old stupid hippies, their eco delusions are always significantly far away from the actual realities of being real stewards of the environment.

There is absolutely no ecological niche anywhere on the planet where mosquitoes fit as an essential anything. They are purely pests for several key species, nothing more.

I bet the bat shit crazy could demonstrate that mosquitos are part of the mix.

 

[Moonbeam]

I just don't understand how liberals and their science would want to interfere in God's intention to visit us with pestilence and plagues. I don't know which is worse, that or preventing God's will by abortion from parents knowing the suffering of having some children die after birth from God willed genetic defects. Scientists and the medical profession are clearly devils incarnate. Excuse me now. Time for my opiates.

 

[Dave_5k]

What could possibly go wrong...

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

The Mooney knows 'God' is a silly creation of idle minded Humans, right?

 

[cytg111]

they aren't making mosquitoes immune, they are introducing modified mosquitoes that, when mating with local mosquitoes, generate sterile offspring. It will simply eliminate all mosquitoes in that area after several generations of inter-breeding.

Pretty sure the article says immune… quote later

 

[Pipeline 1010]

There is absolutely no ecological niche anywhere on the planet where mosquitoes fit as an essential anything.

I wonder if it might not be a binary consideration....as it they are either necessary or not necessary at all. Like maybe removing them could shift some balance that we might not have anticipated. Like some predator that doesn't really need them might eat all of the really good bugs instead and now we have fewer number of those good bugs.

Either way, if we could get it to work with no negative consequences I'm all in. Can we do crows too?

 

[igor_kavinski]

I just don't understand how liberals and their science would want to interfere in God's intention to visit us with pestilence and plagues. I don't know which is worse, that or preventing God's will by abortion from parents knowing the suffering of having some children die after birth from God willed genetic defects. Scientists and the medical profession are clearly devils incarnate. Excuse me now. Time for my opiates.

You know, SOMETIMES you make perfect sense!

 

[igor_kavinski]

The Mooney knows 'God' is a silly creation of idle minded Humans, right?

Nah. They believe coz it brings them peace of mind and peace in their hearts. The real believers, I mean. Not the mad hypocrites who chant one thing and do the complete opposite, usually hurting and killing people.

 

[igor_kavinski]

The worst thing that could happen is that the sterile mosquitos mutate to multiply wayyy faster than it's possible to stop them. THAT is not going to be fun.

 

[Ajay]

Thanks! I prefer the method of just sterilizing the females or causing the males to only be able produce male heirs. That entire species will be gone in a year. Malaria may find another way - but with such a catastrophic decline in hots, it just may die off.

“We have got to get going,” Dr. Lanzaro said. “We can’t just keep saying 10 more years, 10 more years. Six million people have died while we’ve been fiddling around.”

 

[Ajay]

The worst thing that could happen is that the sterile mosquitos mutate to multiply wayyy faster than it's possible to stop them. THAT is not going to be fun.

After 10 years of study - no. This is the kind of stupid stuff people imagine will happen and keeps the general population opposed to doing anything. We just need a fairly large island where people are suffering from malaria, get an agreement and then start the trial with careful monitoring.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

After 10 years of study - no. This is the kind of stupid stuff people imagine will happen and keeps the general population opposed to doing anything. We just need a fairly large island where people are suffering from malaria, get an agreement and then start the trial with careful monitoring.

I recall something with frogs and a large island recently...

 

[Zorba]

they aren't making mosquitoes immune, they are introducing modified mosquitoes that, when mating with local mosquitoes, generate sterile offspring. It will simply eliminate all mosquitoes in that area after several generations of inter-breeding.

How exactly does that gene spread in the wild, though? The only think evolution cares about is your offsprings ability to make offsprings better than the competition. So it seems like the sterile gene would fade away very quickly.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Evolution ahows that if something can't breed one way, it'll breed another. Do we want them breeding with maybe Yellow Jackets? Do we want swarms of thirsty blood sucking Yellow Jackets?

 

[balloonshark]

I thought bats ate tons of mosquitoes every night. Will someone please think of the bats?

 

[Brainonska511]

How exactly does that gene spread in the wild, though? The only think evolution cares about is your offsprings ability to make offsprings better than the competition. So it seems like the sterile gene would fade away very quickly.

If I had to guess, they aren't hurting the fitness of the current generation. They are hurting the fitness of the subsequent generation by just making them sterile - something that might not apply as much evolutionary pressure to fix given the effect being distant from the initial reproduction, and there might not be anything that turns mosquitos "off" for mating with the mosquitoes that will produce sterile offspring.

Evolution ahows that if something can't breed one way, it'll breed another. Do we want them breeding with maybe Yellow Jackets? Do we want swarms of thirsty blood sucking Yellow Jackets?

A) that's completely implausible. B) Lets just throw out hands up and continue to suffer from mosquito-borne illnesses because evolution, right?