Beyone the buzz
Beyone the buzz
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. Watson, The Journal Gazette, 2020.
Lately I have found I need to force myself to follow science stories about something besides the pandemic. A story I consider hopeful involves genetically modified mosquitoes; we are developing a new tool that can reduce disease and save lives.
The goal is to dramatically reduce the mosquito population. Mosquitoes, by biting people and injecting some of their saliva, spread diseases such as yellow fever, dengue fever and malaria. Malaria kills about 600,000 people a year, mostly outside the U.S.
The new tool being developed involves modifying the genes of male mosquitoes. The goal is to design a male mosquito that will behave typically, but whose female offspring die almost immediately.
