Setting the world’s deadliest animal to self-destruct
Setting the world’s deadliest animal to self-destruct
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. Ossola, QUARTZ, 2022.
the mosquitoes are coming – and the, hopefully, they’re going. This wee, British biotech company Oxitec plans to kick off a months-long experiment in which it will release billions of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in California and Florida. But these aren’t just any mosquitoes – they’re genetically engineered so that they don’t bite and will, if all goes according to plan, eventually reduce the population of mosquitoes in these areas.