Hundreds Of Millions Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Approved For Release In US
Hundreds Of Millions Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Approved For Release In US
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. Vibes, Anonymous News, 2020.
A Biotech company called Oxitec has received permission from the government to release hundreds of millions of genetically modified male mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.
The company claims that these genetically modified mosquitos can help eliminate diseases that are typically carried by mosquitos, such as dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika. In theory, these genetically modified male mosquitos will mate with wild females, and their genetics will cause the children to die, which they hope will lead to a total collapse of the wild population.
However, there are obviously a lot of different things that can go wrong with this type of live experiment, and there is growing concern among scientists that this technology may not be ready for deployment. Many experts have also suggested that the risks have not been studied thoroughly enough. Some scientists are warning about the potential unintended consequences that can come from unleashing such insects into the wild. For example, researchers are entirely unaware of what type of allergic reactions that these insects could cause if they interact with people.
