Keywords: Oceania
Feral rabbit numbers are booming, so do myxomatosis and calicivirus still work, and what’s next for biocontrol?
35522Belinda Smith, ABC News, 2026-03-12 09:20:38.
If you've noticed more feral rabbits around than usual, you're right. Much of Australia is experiencing a bunny boom, driven by consecutive years of good breeding conditions. But with an estimated 200 million feral European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) currently hopping around the continent, you might also have wondered if the viruses that kept their numbers down in the past — myxoma virus and a calicivirus that causes rabbit haemorrhagic disease — still work. Heidi Kleinert, national feral rabbit management coordinator at the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, says ideally Australia needs to develop and release a new biocontrol every 10 to 15 years to keep rabbit numbers as low as possible. "It takes time to find another effective virus that we know is targeted specifically to rabbits, and we know is proven and tested and has approval from government organisations," Ms Kleinert says. "Across Australia, we're seeing more rabbits in peri-urban and urban areas. That's why we need that continuous pipeline of biological control, because in these areas we can't use bait and toxins close to domestic housing and domestic pets." So how do myxoma and rabbit haemorrhagic disease viruses work, and what goes into finding the next bunny biocontrol weapon?
Locally Acquired Dengue in Townsville, Australia, 2024–2025: An Outbreak Report in a Non-Endemic Region with wMel Wolbachia-Infected Aedes aegypti
35533Thompson, K., Lyons, S., Malone, K., Fryk, J., Pyke, A., & Murton, K., Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 11. 2026-02-26 19:11:49.
During the 2024/2025 wet season, Townsville had its first sustained autochthonous outbreak of dengue disease caused by dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2), the second locally transmitted outbreak of dengue since 2014 following the introduction of wMel strain Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, a control strategy for dengue virus (DENV) and other Aedes-transmitted arboviruses. In comparison to two recorded locally acquired cases of dengue in 2020, the 2024/2025 outbreak resulted in sixteen cases in two inner-city suburbs of Townsville during the wet season associated with higher-than-average rainfall. This second dengue outbreak since 2014 highlights that Townsville and other north Queensland communities where Wolbachia mosquito programs have been deployed remain vulnerable to DENV incursions and local disease outbreaks despite the apparent high coverage of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. Whilst these control strategies have likely contributed to a reduction in the number and frequency of autochthonous DENV outbreaks in north Queensland, ongoing maintenance and monitoring of Wolbachia-infected mosquito coverage is necessary, together with timely review and improvement in dengue awareness and prevention health promotion activities in the community.
Scientists in Australia have created a genetically edited cane toad that gets stuck in the tadpole stage and attacks the plague before it spreads.
35365Noel Budeguer, Click Petróleo e Gás, 2026-01-16 10:59:37.
Australia has begun testing an unusual idea to combat one of the country's most persistent biological invasions: creating tadpoles of the cane toad who have never seen adults. The goal is to cut the problem off at the source, before the animals grow, leave the water, and move into new areas, increasing the impact on native wildlife. The proposal is noteworthy because it shifts the focus of control. Instead of targeting adults who have already spread out, the action targets the point where the population begins, the spawning grounds. The cane toad, a species Rhinella marina, it was introduced in Australia in 1935 and spread rapidly through northern regions. The species adapted quickly, encountered few natural barriers, and came to dominate environments where native animals cannot compete on an equal footing. Over time, the problem ceased to be isolated and became a constant threat to entire ecosystems. The adult stage is what allows the cane toad to move long distances and occupy new territories. The idea behind the project is to prevent this transition, keeping the animal confined to the aquatic environment and reducing the arrival of adults in the natural habitat. In practice, the plan attempts to halt the spread of the pest before it "jumps" out of the water. The technique uses CRISPR Cas9 to alter a point related to the hormonal control of metamorphosis. The target is the production of thyroxine, a hormone that triggers the transformation of the tadpole into an adult frog. Without this signaling, the animal remains in the aquatic phase and does not complete the cycle that would make it an even more aggressive terrestrial invader.
Genetic Biocontrol Strategy Considerations for Mosquito Control in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories
35315Adam E. Vorsino, Tim Harvey-Samuel, Limb K. Hapairai, et al., Current Opinion in Insect Science, 2026-01-05 10:49:54.
Mosquito-borne diseases pose an existential threat to the health, economies, and unique ecosystems of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). The remoteness of these islands, combined with the presence of highly competent mosquito vectors, complicates disease surveillance and vector control efforts. In response, the PICTs have become a focal point for the development and application of Genetic BioControl (GBC) technologies designed to break vector-borne disease transmission cycles. However, the application of GBC tools in this region warrants careful consideration of its unique history, including a legacy of colonialism, and challenges associated with logistic hurdles. Through meaningful community engagement and authentic collaborations, drawing from local knowledge, and building local capacity, the sustainable, efficient and effective deployment of GBC tools may be achieved.
Controversial genetically modified mosquito release paused after backlash in Qld
35305Brandon Long, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2025-12-05 17:32:24.
A plan to release genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes in Queensland has been paused, with the organisation behind the idea withdrawing its licence application. Oxitec Australia — a partnership between Australia's CSIRO and US biotech firm Oxitec Ltd — aimed to sell its so-called "friendly" mosquitoes to reduce the spread of diseases like dengue. The plan received backlash from scientists, health experts, and the public, but CSIRO said the step back was not due to concerns about the technology. "This decision was not related to concerns about the technology itself, rather a determination made around the early stage of the company and the necessary financial requirements of holding a licence," a CSIRO spokesperson said.
The shibirets4 mutation causes temperature sensitive paralytic and lethal phenotypes in the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni
35094Anzu Okada, Mamoru Okamoto, Thu N.M. Nguyen, et al., Insect Science, 2025-09-01 19:43:43.
Bactrocera tryoni, the Queensland fruit fly, is among the most damaging insect pests to the Australian horticultural industry as larvae infest ripening fruits or vegetables prior to harvest. Genetic biocontrol using Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programs have been used to successfully suppress populations, via mass release of factory-reared sterile males that mate with wild females. Bi-sex flies are currently used for releases, although the efficiency of these control programs could be improved through using genetic sexing strains that eliminate females early during development, as they are not required for SIT. Here we used CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis to modify two nucleotides in the B. tryoni gene shibire, which created a proline to serine amino acid substitution and produced a temperature sensitive phenotype. Shibire is an essential GTPase required in endocytosis and synaptic vesicle recycling, and classical mutagenic screens in the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster previously identified temperature sensitive alleles including shits4 that results in adult paralysis. In B. tryoni, the shits4 mutant strain exhibited similar adult paralytic phenotypes when exposed to high temperatures, as well as temperature dependent lethality at egg, larval and pupal stages when subjected to heat treatment above standard rearing temperatures. These temperature sensitive phenotypes could be adapted to develop a SIT genetic sexing strain for conditional elimination of females prior to sterile releases, to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Are we winning the war on cane toads?
35089Tom Gurn, Particle, 2025-08-28 19:10:42.
In 1935, a species known as the giant neotropical toad (Rhinella marina) was introduced to Australia. Scientists hoped these amphibians would control native cane beetles, but cane toads quickly colonised the country and had no discernible impact on beetle populations. Many different methods are being tested to remove these warty beasts, including a toad containment zone and turning the toads into sausages. Now, almost a century later, scientists believe they have finally stumbled across a potential solution to one of the worst invasive species ever. Will clever gene-editing techniques finally rid this continent of the dreaded cane toad? Professor Emeritus Rick Shine led the team behind the new idea, based on CRISPR gene-editing techniques. “We seem to have found a chink in the toads’ armour,” says Rick. “If we could only stop their metamorphosing, we could have these eternal tadpoles,” he says. Searching for collaborators to test this cunning plan, Rick happened across molecular biologist Dr Maciej Masielko, who was immediately struck by the beauty of the idea. “We know enough about the biochemistry of metamorphosis to know what we would need to do,” says Maciej. “Like using CRISPR-Cas9 to delete a part of the cane toad’s DNA.”
Hordes of genetically modified insects set to be released in Australia: ‘They can smell you’
34740Michael Dahlstrom, Yahoo News, 2025-04-03 17:47:00.
Dengue fever is at record levels around the globe, with this trend now beginning to be reflected in Australia as the mosquito species that carries the virus spreads. It means a simple bite could soon trigger symptoms worse than an annoying itch, with victims often experiencing pain behind the eyes, headaches, muscle aches, and nausea for over a week. Surprisingly, elsewhere in the world, one solution to combatting the spread of dengue fever is breeding more of the mosquitoes in large factories. And that’s what UK-based Oxitec is now planning to do in Australia as it partners with the country’s national science agency, the CSIRO. The company operates the world’s largest mosquito breeding factory, which is located in Brazil. Inside are boxes containing thousands of “friendly” mosquitoes that are genetically engineered so only non-biting males survive. After they’re released by local governments, they breed with wild females, and because their offspring will also be majority male, the overall population can rapidly be reduced by over 95 per cent in a few breeding cycles. Australian governments could be purchasing and releasing Oxitic’s strain of “friendly” mosquitoes in the next one to two years, if the plan receives regulatory approval.
3 reasons why the release of GM mosquitoes in Queensland is risky
34554Dr. Perran Stott-Ross, University of Melbourne, 2025-03-04 11:14:23.
The British company Oxitec, in partnership with Australia's CSIRO, has announced plans to release genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes in Queensland. The initiative aims to reduce transmission of the dengue virus, as well as other pathogens spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito by reducing the size of the mosquito population. The announcement has received significant attention from the public – there's even a petition to the Queensland Parliament to block the release. While these mosquitoes are unlikely to cause adverse health impacts as some have suggested, there are still legitimate reasons for concern. Here is why we should be wary of releasing GM mosquitoes in Australia. Only female mosquitoes drink blood to feed their eggs, meaning only female mosquitoes spread disease to humans. The mosquitoes developed by Oxitec are a Mexican strain of Aedes aegypti, genetically engineered to express a gene that's lethal to females. This means only male mosquitoes can survive and reproduce in the wild. Male mosquitoes don’t bite so they can’t spread disease, but they can still mate with wild Australian female mosquitoes and pass on their genes – both the lethal gene and other genes naturally occur in the Mexican strain of Aedes aegypti. This technique has advantages over similar technologies because it is effective across multiple generations, making the population reduction last longer. It will also only target Aedes aegypti and won’t affect other mosquito species directly. The mosquitoes will also carry a fluorescent gene making them easy to identify. The GM mosquitoes will be sold to businesses and the public, allowing anyone in Queensland to release them on their own property. They can be raised by adding water to a container and placing it outside. Eventually, male mosquitoes will emerge to mate with the wild population. The technology is already used overseas with trials showing drastic reductions in mosquito populations, but the situation in Australia is markedly different and so carries different risks.
Genetically modified mosquitoes could soon be released in one Australian state: everything you need to know
34220Maddison Leach, 9 News, 2025-01-07 20:50:29.
Mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever cause hundreds of thousands of deaths every year and a new venture wants to change that by introducing genetically modified mosquitoes (GMMs) right here in Australia. That venture is Oxitec Australia, a collaboration between the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and UK-based Oxitec Ltd, which has previously received backing from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Its goal is to introduce GMMs in parts of Queensland to reduce the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases and combat the threat of invasive and exotic species like Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. These invasive insects have already already spread through northern and central Queensland and can transmit dengue, which can be life-threatening in severe cases. However, Oxitec Australia can't start releasing GMMs to help combat these diseases in Australia until it has received approval from the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator. "It's a bit like the TGA [Therapeutic Goods Administration] for our medicines, but it's looking at genetically modified products, and it needs to go through the same type of rigorous process," Professor Brett Sutton, Director of Health and Biosecurity at CSIRO, told ABC's RN Radio.
Otago GE Wasp Project Violates International Gene Drive Agreement
28874GE-Free NZ, Scoop, 2024-02-13 17:02:02.
Professor Dearden, Otago University, has received $11 million from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE) to engineer wasps using gene drive technology. He is only consulting with Māori and regulators, ignoring and side-lining the views of other concerned New Zealanders. Gene Drives using gene editing CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat) technology. This genetic engineering causes a permanent modification of the organisms genome, which is passed on to all subsequent generations. Gene drives are designed to impact reproduction or kill the developing larvae. Due to the irreversibility of gene drives, any out-crossing across species could collapse the insect ecosystems affecting pollinators and food security. The approval of this gene drive application is a worldwide concern, as it overrides the decision on gene drives being considered at a global level through the UN Convention of Biodiversity (CBD). MBIE and researchers at the University of Otago have violated the agreement to work in unison with the international community. International concern has already been raised by the project.
The $11million wasp to end (hopefully) all wasps
28867Kieran Chisnall, Stuff, 2024-01-30 20:07:32.
A new project to eradicate wasps, which cost the country millions of dollars, has begun in Dunedin. The key to that $11million project would be a genetically altered wasp, capable of destroying wasps colonies from the inside. Professor Peter Dearden, Genomics Aotearoa co-director, said: “We are using this as a test case for all New Zealand pests, a prototype for what can be done in the most ethical way, the safest way, and the way that follows the science. “What we want is to develop research to make this firstly, scientifically possible, and secondly, offer a blueprint for how it can be done, if and when New Zealand decides we want to do it.” The nationwide research led by Genomics Aotearoa began with the opening of new labs in Dunedin this week. It will be in that controlled environment where researchers will make the transgenic organism - a wasp that has been genetically modified with a flaw.
The epidemiology of imported and locally-acquired dengue in Australia, 2012–2022
28826Asma Sohail, Katherine L Anders, Sarah L McGuinness, Karin Leder, Journal of Travel Medicine, 2024-01-23 17:13:52.
Dengue is the most important arboviral disease globally, and poses ongoing challenges for control including in non-endemic countries with competent mosquito vectors at risk of local transmission through imported cases. We examined recent epidemiological trends in imported and locally-acquired dengue in Australia, where the Wolbachia mosquito population replacement method was implemented throughout dengue-prone areas of northern Queensland between 2011–2019. Dengue is the most important arboviral disease globally, and poses ongoing challenges for control including in non-endemic countries with competent mosquito vectors at risk of local transmission through imported cases. We examined recent epidemiological trends in imported and locally-acquired dengue in Australia, where the Wolbachia mosquito population replacement method was implemented throughout dengue-prone areas of northern Queensland between 2011–2019. Dengue is the most important arboviral disease globally, and poses ongoing challenges for control including in non-endemic countries with competent mosquito vectors at risk of local transmission through imported cases. We examined recent epidemiological trends in imported and locally-acquired dengue in Australia, where the Wolbachia mosquito population replacement method was implemented throughout dengue-prone areas of northern Queensland between 2011–2019.
Consultation on a draft National Gene Drive Policy Guide
28786Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Health and Aged Care), National Gene Technology Scheme, 2024-01-02 13:43:01.
The term gene drive is used to describe organisms which have been genetically modified to increase the rate for a particular trait to spread through a sexually reproducing population, spreading the genes or traits through a species at a faster rate than normal inheritance. An example might be a trait to increase likelihood of offspring to be female and thereby suppress the population of the targeted pest species. The concept of a gene drive is not a new one; these dominant genes – sometimes called selfish genes – are abundant in nature. However, GM gene drive organisms have the potential to be useful for addressing some of the environmental, agricultural, and public health challenges currently faced by Australia, such as conserving native populations, controlling significant exotic pests, or providing public health benefits. As an evolving technology, gene drives may pose risks that are not yet fully understood, including the potential to alter the ecosystem in unpredictable ways. These risks should be acknowledged and managed in a structured and systematic way if Australia wishes to be a future beneficiary of this technology. The Third Review (the Review) of the National Gene Technology Scheme (Scheme), endorsed by all Australian governments on 11 October 2018, recommended “clarifying, and where necessary strengthening, the mechanisms for regulating the environmental release of GM gene drive organisms in Australia” (Recommendation 7b). Review Recommendation 7b and development of the National Gene Drive Policy Guide (Policy Guide) cannot be considered in isolation.
Gene drives – maybe not a silver bullet, but a bullet nonetheless
28745Jenny Leonard, New Zealand's Biological Heritage, 2023-12-20 15:26:56.
A gene drive is both a natural process and a genetic engineering technology where a gene is promoted or favoured during reproduction—instead of there being a “chance” of an offspring inheriting a gene, gene drives almost guarantee that the offspring (and subsequent offspring) will inherit that gene. The common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, is driving a lot of unwanted change in Aotearoa in the form of damaging our native ecosystems. Could genetic engineering drive country-wide eradication? A new paper uses modelling to show that eradication would probably be very difficult to achieve—but the paper also shows that a wasp gene drive could still make a significant difference in getting populations to a manageable level. In New Zealand, gene drives may be a solution for managing pests like the invasive social wasp (Vespula vulgaris). “We know we can target several genes that would stop sperm development within wasps,” says Phil Lester, a professor at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and co-lead of Novel Tools & Strategies – Invertebrates.
Invasive Feral Cats Could Be Wiped Out Using Genetic Modification
28632Jess Thomson, Newsweek, 2023-12-04 10:38:32.
Hordes of feral cats terrorizing native species in Australia could be combatted using a special type of genetic engineering, scientists have suggested. The cats, which came to Australia via European colonizers, regularly kill native mammals, birds, and reptiles, including woylies, quolls, and even penguins. The feral cats now number over six million, and are responsible for the extinction of at least 28 species across the country, threatening countless more. This has spurred numerous control measures to be announced, including poison, trapping, and cat curfews. "Gene drives literally 'drive' modified genes through a species by ensuring they are inherited from generation to generation, eventually resulting in the whole species having engineered genetic traits," Andrew D. Maynard, a professor of Advanced Technology Transitions at Arizona State University, told Newsweek. "It's a technique that is specific to species that mate and reproduce sexually, and works by ensuring that engineered genetic traits are inherited by every single offspring resulting from mating."
What are gene drives, and how can they help eradicate invasive species in Australia?
28563Dr. Ellen Cottingham, ABC News (Australia Broadcasting Corporation), 2023-11-29 13:52:33.
The impact of feral cats and other invasive species is felt across Australia. Not only do they threaten native species, but they can also spread diseases to humans and livestock. Invasive species are estimated to cost Australia an eye-watering $25 billion annually, while the global cost is a staggering $423 billion. Feral cats are everywhere — the nation is home to up to 6.3 million of them, and they are responsible for killing millions of native mammals, reptiles, and birds each day. Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek recently declared "war on feral cats", announcing plans involving cat curfews, desexing regulations, and caps on cat numbers in homes. But what can we do about the millions of feral cats already wreaking havoc across Australia? And what about other pests such as foxes, rabbits, cane toads, carp, pigs, deer, or goats? One technique with the potential to help fight not just cats but all invasive species is called a "gene drive".
Research breakthrough in genetic biocontrol striving to transform pest management: Centre for Invasive Species Solutions
28332ARR News, Australian Rural and Regional News, 2023-11-02 13:31:54.
A potential new non-lethal and ethical approach to control invasive mammal pests was showcased at a briefing held at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide on Tuesday 31 October. Hosted by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions and the University of Adelaide, the briefing introduced guests to a world-first breakthrough in gene drive technology. The University of Adelaide discovery is the first time a new genetic tool has been identified that is able to induce female infertility into a mouse population, offering a non-lethal way to control mice and rats. Importantly, these findings could be transferred to control other pests, such as rabbits and feral cats.
Quantifying the impact of Wolbachia releases on dengue infection in Townsville, Australia
27831Ogunlade, S. T. Adekunle, A. I. Meehan, M. T. McBryde, E. S., Scientific Reports, 13:14932. 2023-09-11 08:51:39.
From October 2014 to February 2019, local authorities in Townsville, North Queensland, Australia continually introduced Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes to control seasonal outbreaks of dengue infection. In this study, we develop a mathematical modelling framework to estimate the effectiveness of this intervention as well as the relative dengue transmission rates of Wolbachia-infected and wild-type mosquitoes. We find that the transmission rate of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes is reduced approximately by a factor of 20 relative to the uninfected wild-type population. In addition, the Townsville Wolbachia release program led to a 65% reduction in predicted dengue incidence during the release period and over 95% reduction in the 24 months that followed. Finally, to investigate the potential impact of other Wolbachia release programs, we use our estimates of relative transmissibility to calculate the relationship between the reproductive number of dengue and the proportion of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in the vector population.
Gene drives for invasive wasp control: Extinction is unlikely, with suppression dependent on dispersal and growth rates
27669P. J. Lester, D. O'Sullivan and G. L. W. Perry, Ecological Applications, 2023-08-24 06:36:30.
Abstract Gene drives offer a potentially revolutionary method for pest control over large spatial extents. These genetic modifications spread deleterious variants through a population and have been proposed as methods for pest suppression or even eradication. We examined the influence of local dispersal, long-distance and/or human-mediated dispersal, and variation in population growth, on the success of a gene drive for the control of invasive social wasps (Vespula vulgaris). Our simulations incorporated a spatially realistic environment containing variable habitat quality in New Zealand. Pest eradication was not observed, except in extreme and unrealistic scenarios of constant, widespread, and spatially intense releases of genetically modified individuals every year for decades. Instead, the regional persistence of genetically modified and wild-type wasps was predicted. Simulations using spatially homogeneous versus realistic landscapes (incorporating uninhabitable areas and dispersal barriers) showed little difference in overall population dynamics. Overall, little impact on wasp abundance was observed in the first 15?years post-introduction. After 25?years, populations were suppressed to levels <95% of starting populations. Populations exhibited ?chase dynamics? with population cycles in space, with local extinction occurring in some areas while wasps became abundant in others. Increasing the wasps' local dispersal distance increased the spatial and temporal variability of the occupied area and population suppression. Varying levels of human-associated long-distance dispersal had little effect on population dynamics. Increasing intrinsic population growth rates interacted with local dispersal to cause higher mean populations and substantially higher levels of variation in population suppression and the total amount of landscape occupied. Gene drives appear unlikely to cause a rapid and widespread extinction of this and probably other pests, but could offer long-term and cost-effective methods of pest suppression. The predicted level of <95% pest suppression would substantially reduce the predation pressure and competitive interactions of this invasive wasp on native species. However, the predicted long-term persistence of genetically modified pests will influence the ethics and likelihood of using gene drives for pest control, especially given concerns that modified wasps would eventually be transported back to their home range.
Novel Conservation Strategies to Conserve Australian Marsupials
28144S. Legge, M. Hayward and A. Weeks, American and Australasian Marsupials, 2023-07-01 10:36:55.
The Australian marsupial fauna has been devastated in the past 250 years, mainly due to impacts from invasive mammalian predators (cats and foxes), although other threats such as invasive herbivores, habitat loss and fragmentation, changes to fire regimes, and now climate change have played a role. The profound and ongoing impact of invasive predators has driven substantial research and management innovation. Australia has been at the forefront of developing approaches to reduce the density and impacts of introduced predators and implementing novel and ambitious species conservation programs. A large and growing network of islands and mainland fenced areas, free of introduced predators (“havens”), has been critical for avoiding further species extinctions. Outside these havens, advances in toxin presentation and deployment have enabled cat and fox densities to be reduced over large areas. Substantial research and field trials have been carried out to understand how predator-prey interactions, and habitat quality management, can be used to reduce predation impacts on susceptible native species. Synthetic biology offers new opportunities to manage introduced predators, including potentially by using gene drives. Finally, the attenuation of the formerly large continuous ranges of many species to small, isolated population remnants (because of predation or other reasons) has also driven research and improvements in genetic and metapopulation management that will increase the chance of population persistence in the longer term. However, unless Australia continues to invest in research and innovative conservation actions, the plight of its priceless marsupial fauna will remain perilous.
The attitudes of young adults towards mammalian predator control and Predator Free 2050 in Aotearoa New Zealand
26186L. Dickie and F. Medvecky, Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 2023-06-09 12:31:11.
Predator Free 2050 (PF2050) is an ambitious goal that aims to remove three types of invasive mammals from New Zealand by 2050. It will require a significant amount of funding, research, and support. Young adults will have an important role to play for this programme to be successful. Therefore, understanding the awareness and attitudes of young adults towards PF2050, and predator control, is an essential consideration. A survey of 1479 18- to 24-year-olds was conducted in 2017. The results showed that a higher percentage of young adults than members of the broader public view the small, introduced mammals as threats to New Zealand’s environment. Furthermore, this study highlights support for the control of feral, stray, and domestic cats. More focused research on attitudes towards cats is recommended to gauge which control methods are approved of by young adults. Indeed, methods appear to be a key factor to young adults supporting PF2050. The aerial distribution of poison was largely viewed negatively, and moderate concern was expressed about the targeted animal’s welfare. Interestingly, young adults appeared to be open to the use of gene editing and gene drive, although they expressed caution. Targeted communication towards young adults on toxins and genetic methods is recommended. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Trust in science and scientists: Effects of social attitudes and motivations on views regarding climate change, vaccines and gene drive technology
24622H. G. W. Dixson, A. F. Komugabe-Dixson, F. Medvecky, J. Balanovic, H. Thygesen and E. A. MacDonald, Journal of Trust Research, 2023-01-10 09:31:54.
Trust in science and scientists (TSS) is an increasingly important topic with respect to how science is applied within society. However, its role regarding specific issues may vary depending upon other psychosocial factors. In this study, we investigated how trust interacts with social attitudes and motivations to shape views on scientific issues in New Zealand (N = 8,199; 74.7% New Zealand European, 55.1% female). The study went beyond TSS by including broader institutional trust alongside measures relating to support for inequality, status quo preservation and fear of the unknown. We focused on their effects on three issues: vaccines, climate change and genetic technology (gene drive). Although TSS was strongly associated with lower vaccine skepticism (B = -0.497, p < 0.01), and moderate support for gene drive (B = 0.231, p < 0.01), it had no meaningful effect on climate skepticism. Furthermore, trust differentially mediated the relationship between social motivations and responses to all three issues. Trust in science and scientists is therefore unlikely to represent a one-size-fits-all variable. We conclude that future research should consider what effects trust in institutions and TSS have with social attitudes and motivations over a range of technologies across the sciences.
Should NZ use contentious gene tech in our war on pests?
24032J. Morton, NZ Herald, 2022-11-27 09:45:02.
Gene-altering technology could offer “breakthrough opportunities” for saving our pest-threatened species, a new future-scoping report says, but there’d be some tricky issues to address before it’d be a realistic option. Scientists have already been exploring how these contentious tools - among several areas canvassed in a new future-focused briefing by the Department of Conservation and Land Information New Zealand - might aid our ongoing war on pest predators. But it’s doubtful that would happen anytime soon, given the tech isn’t yet ready, and the Government has little appetite toward making law changes that’d likely be needed to unleash it in our environment. The briefing, just put out for public feedback, explained how gene-editing tools like Crispr-Cas9 could be used to change particular genes or introduce new traits.
Public perspectives towards using gene drive for invasive species management in Australia
23100A. Mankad, E. V. Hobman and L. Carter, CSIRO, 2022-06-30 07:55:31.
Many pest animal species live and reproduce in high numbers across Australia. This includes animal species, such as cane toads, feral cats, foxes, rodents, wild pigs, wild rabbits. These species significantly damage Australia’s agricultural industries, natural landscapes, and biodiversity. For example, feral cats kill an estimated 1.8 billion Australian animals every year. Feral animals can also carry livestock diseases and cause significant damage to land and native vegetation. This results in agricultural production losses of more than $800 million per year. Sites of cultural significance to Indigenous peoples are also at risk to pest incursions. Adding further complexity, current methods of pest control being used to manage local landscape, such as baiting, trapping and shooting, are labour-intensive and expensive. They also have animal welfare implications and are considered ineffective at scale. Genetic technologies that are developed using synthetic biology have the potential to reduce or in some cases eliminate populations of invasive pests in parts of Australia. But there are multiple social, cultural and institutional considerations to understand before genetic technologies could feasibly be integrated with current pest management practices.
Australians open to using genetic technology to manage feral cats
23086CSIRO, MIRAGE, 2022-06-30 07:20:05.
New genetic technologies could help address the rise of invasives through a number of ways, one of which is called gene drive. Gene drive can determine the sex of offspring, reducing the number of animals able to reproduce, and therefore over time driving down populations. Researchers from CSIRO surveyed more than 3,800 people across Australia to understand public perceptions of using gene drive on feral cats. The research found 86 per cent of people were at least moderately supportive for the local implementation of gene drive technology to manage invasive feral cat species in their local area.
What role can gene editing play in predator control? And are we ready to accept it?
22727K. Green, Stuff, 2022-05-16 08:07:14.
The once-forbidden concept of gene editing for predator control is back on the table after two projects receivedGovernment funding. Despite advances overseas, experts are worried research in New Zealand will never make it out of the lab, with no plans to change current restrictive laws. Appetite for gene editing has always been low among the New Zealand public. In 1999, 20,000 people protested in Auckland alone, marching down Auckland’s Queen St calling for a ban on genetically engineered crops. Gene editing joined nuclear-free as a hallmark of clean, green New Zealand. However last month, the crown entity responsible for pest control, Predator Free 2050, announced investment of $6.7 million into research projects, including $2.25m to investigate whether recent overseas advances in producing mice of only one sex could be adapted for rats, and $200,000 to explore stoat breeding genetics, and whether that could be used for control.
International shipments of Wolbachia-infected mosquito eggs: towards the scaling-up of World Mosquito Program operations
23390J. A. Denton, D. A. Joubert, A. A. Goundar and J. R. L. Gilles, Scientific and Technical Review, 41:91-99. 2022-05-01 08:01:14.
The Wolbachia insect control method, employed by the World Mosquito Program (WMP), relies on introgressing Wolbachia through target Aedes aegypti populations to reduce the incidence of dengue. Since 2010, the WMP has been producing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes at numerous sites across the globe for release in 11 countries. As the technology has matured, greater focus has been placed on mosquito production at larger central facilities for transport to remote release sites, both domestically and internationally. Of particular note is the production of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes at the WMP's Australian production facility for successful international deployments in Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Sri Lanka. This requires careful management of both production and supply-chain processes to ensure that the quality of the mosquito eggs, specifically the hatch rate and Wolbachia infection rate, is maintained. To ensure the cost-effectiveness and scalability of the Wolbachia method, these processes will be further refined to facilitate deployment from large centralised production facilities.
Conditions for Investment in Genetic Biocontrol of Pest Vertebrates in Australia
20264L. Carter, A. Mankad, S. Campbell, W. Ruscoe, K. P. Oh, P. R. Brown, M. Byrne, M. Tizard and T. Strive, Frontiers in Agronomy, 3. 2022-01-31 08:46:53.
Managing pest vertebrate species in Australia is a significant challenge for government, industry, research sectors and land-managers. Innovative tools such as genetic biocontrol offers decision-makers a potentially effective means of reducing the impact of pest species incursions. To determine the conditions for investment in genetic biocontrol, we applied qualitative engagement methodologies to identify and integrate existing knowledge of pest species research and management in Australia. Two facilitated workshops were held to determine key topics related to genetic biocontrol technologies for selected pest species. The topics explored during workshop discussions included: identifying existing knowledge gaps; risk perceptions; social and ethical considerations and; industry and business considerations. The workshops' aim was to assess the potential, the priorities and the risk parameters among expert stakeholders and decision-makers for using genetic biocontrol approaches to reduce the impacts of key pest species in Australia. This paper reports on the design, process and outcomes of each workshop to inform the creation of a decision framework. Stakeholders were cautiously optimistic of pursuing continued research and development for vertebrate pest management in Australia. However, employing an appropriate, transparent process for incorporating diverse stakeholder perspectives on genetic biocontrol technologies is essential to ensure their development and use remains supported. This outcome will require meaningful investment in both social science investigations and well-considered engagement processes concurrent with biotechnology development globally.
Track New Zealand’s Bid to Take Back Nature
20169K. Peek, Scientific American, 2022-01-25 09:05:48.
A thousand years ago the islands that today form New Zealand were riotously wild. Birds, reptiles and invertebrates flourished in lush forests hundreds of miles from any other landmass. Māori settlers in the 1200s brought Polynesian rats for food, and together the humans and the rodents began to shift the ecological balance. Native species started to go extinct. Enter European ships, bearing new carnivores: more aggressive rat species, plus mice, stoats, and others. These ground-based predators hunted differently from the falcons and other aerial threats New Zealand wildlife had evolved with. Native birds that slept in burrows made easy prey for prowling mammals. Invasive predator populations exploded, devastating native wildlife. But in the past 60 years humans have intervened to help old New Zealand ecosystems claw their way back. First, a single five-acre (two-hectare) islet called Maria Island (Ruapuke in Māori) was declared rat-free by ecologists in 1964, five years after volunteers set poisoned bait. It was a special case. The white-faced storm petrels at risk there were especially charismatic—they appear to walk on water—and easily gained public support. The ample baiting effort also got particularly lucky with its placement, ecologists say. Nevertheless, the serendipitous success kicked off decades of eradication efforts.
New Zealand wants to get rid of stoats with genetic engineering
19157C. Weerasinghe, Cyber Layman, 2021-11-05 14:23:23.
The principle of the “gene drive” is to modify a specific gene in a group of specimens of a species and then let the gene spread throughout the population by inheritance, through reproduction. If, as in this case, the aim is to reduce the population of animals, for example, we can make sure that only males are born. New Zealand stoats are not the only animals on which the technique of “gene drive” is thought to be used: for example, there are similar plans for mosquitoes that transmit malaria. The first time the technique proved effective was in 2015, when it was tested on a population of fruit flies; then it was tested on some species of yeast, insects and mice (for which, however, the effectiveness of the technique has not yet been demonstrated), never on an animal as large as an ermine. New Zealand may be the first country to experience such a thing domestically.
A decade of stability for wMel Wolbachia in natural Aedes aegypti populations
19080P. A. Ross, K. L. Robinson, Q. Yang, A. G. Callahan, T. L. Schmidt, J. K. Axford, M. P. Coquilleau, K. M. Staunton, M. Townsend, S. A. Ritchie, M.-J. Lau, X. Gu and A. A. Hoffmann, bioRxiv, 2021.10.27.466190. 2021-10-28 20:41:44.
Mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia endosymbionts are being released in many countries for arbovirus control. The wMel strain of Wolbachia blocks Aedes-borne virus transmission and can spread throughout mosquito populations by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying wMel were first released into the field in Cairns, Australia, over a decade ago, and with wider releases have resulted in the near elimination of local dengue transmission. The long-term stability of Wolbachia effects is critical for ongoing disease suppression, requiring tracking of phenotypic and genomic changes in Wolbachia infections following releases. We used a combination of field surveys, phenotypic assessments, and Wolbachia genome sequencing to show that wMel has remained stable in its effects for up to a decade in Australian Ae. aegypti populations. Phenotypic comparisons of wMel-infected and uninfected mosquitoes from near-field and long-term laboratory populations suggest limited changes in the effects of wMel on mosquito fitness. Treating mosquitoes with antibiotics used to cure the wMel infection had limited effects on fitness in the next generation, supporting the use of tetracycline for generating uninfected mosquitoes without off-target effects. wMel has a temporally stable within-host density and continues to induce complete cytoplasmic incompatibility. A comparison of wMel genomes from pre-release (2010) and nine years post-release (2020) populations show few genomic differences and little divergence between release locations, consistent with the lack of phenotypic changes. These results indicate that releases of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes for population replacement are likely to be effective for many years, but ongoing monitoring remains important to track potential evolutionary changes.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.
Conditional knockdown of transformer in sheep blow fly suggests a role in repression of dosage compensation and potential for population suppression
19004M. E. Williamson, Y. Yan and M. J. Scott, PLOS Genetics, 17:e1009792. 2021-10-18 15:15:17.
In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and in the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, a single gene (Sxl in D. melanogaster, fle in A. gambiae) controls the development of female-specific tissues and X chromosome dosage compensation, which is the equalization of X-linked gene products in males and females. In this study we find evidence that the transformer gene is essential for somatic sex differentiation and repression of X chromosome dosage compensation in female sheep blow fly, Lucilia cuprina. In several of the transgenic strains developed, females are transformed into males on diet that lacks tetracycline. Consequently, these strains could be part of a genetic control program of this major pest of sheep in Australia.
Gene drive and RNAi technologies: a bio-cultural review of next-generation tools for pest wasp management in New Zealand
19000S. Palmer, P. K. Dearden, O. R. Mercier, A. King-Hunt and P. J. Lester, Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 1-18. 2021-10-14 15:09:43.
There is a global need for novel, next-generation technologies and techniques to manage pest species. We review work on potential step-changing technologies for large landscape (>1000 hectares) pest management of social Vespula wasps. We also review M?ori perspectives on these controls to gauge social and cultural acceptability to research, test and use of novel controls. Approaches discussed are the use of gene silencing (RNAi) and gene drives (CRISPR-Cas 9) involving genetic modification, which has potential for pest control but vary in feasibility, cost, benefits and off-target risks. RNAi may be better suited for wasp control in high-value cropping systems due to scaling inefficiencies. Gene drives offer potential for large-scale control but would require legislative and wide social deliberation due to their status as genetic modification. Both RNAi and gene drives will require consultation with tangata whenua. M?ori interest groups agreed that exotic wasps must be controlled and expressed aversion to non-targeted traditional control methods. We present a diversity of opinions in parallel with scientific research underscoring the need for continued dialogue with M?ori. Novel biotechnological controls must satisfy a broad range of social and cultural criteria, receive regulatory approval, along with being demonstrated as safe, selective, and cost-effective.
Trial suppresses mosquitoes using non-GMO approach
18863GM Watch, GM Watch, 2021-10-07 18:51:46.
In a first for the Southern Hemisphere, researchers have shown that a bacterium can successfully suppress populations of the invasive, disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito that is responsible for spreading dengue, yellow fever and Zika. Published in PNAS (see abstract below), the trial involved releasing three million male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Northern Queensland, sterilised with a naturally occurring bacterium called Wolbachia, across three trial sites over a 20-week period during the summer of 2018. The sterile male insects search out and mate with wild females, preventing the production of offspring. Scientists returned the following year and found one of the trial sites, Mourilyan in Queensland, was almost devoid of mosquitoes.
Invasive, disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito sterilized with bacteria and eradicated in large-scale trial
18872CSIRO, Phys Org, 2021-10-05 19:15:01.
In a first for the Southern Hemisphere, researchers have shown a bacteria can successfully sterilize and eradicate the invasive, disease carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito which is responsible for spreading dengue, yellow fever and Zika. The breakthrough could support the suppression and potential eradication of Aedes aegypti worldwide. Published today in PNAS, the landmark trial involved releasing 3 million male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Northern Queensland sterilized with bacteria called Wolbachia. The trial was conducted across three sites over a 20-week period during the summer of 2018. The sterile male insects search out and mate with wild females, preventing the production of offspring.
Releasing incompatible males drives strong suppression across populations of wild and Wolbachiat-carrying Aedes aegypti in Australia
18844N. W. Beebe, D. Pagendam, B. J. Trewin, A. Boomer, M. Bradford, A. Ford, C. Liddington, A. Bondarenco, P. J. De Barro, J. Gilchrist, C. Paton, K. M. Staunton, B. Johnson, A. J. Maynard, G. J. Devine, L. E. Hugo, G. Rasic, H. Cook, P. Massaro, N. Snoad, J., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118:e2106828118. 2021-10-05 11:33:10.
Through replicated treatment and control experiments in northern Australia, regular releases of Aedes aegypti males infected with a Wolbachia from Aedes albopictus was shown to drive strong population suppression in mosaic populations of wild-type (no Wolbachia) and wMel-Wolbachia–carrying Ae. aegypti. In a demonstration of bidirectional incompatibility between different Wolbachia strains in the field, we also demonstrate that one season’s suppression experiment can also show an ongoing effect into the following season.Releasing sterile or incompatible male insects is a proven method of population management in agricultural systems with the potential to revolutionize mosquito control. Through a collaborative venture with the “Debug” Verily Life Sciences team, we assessed the incompatible insect technique (IIT) with the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti in northern Australia in a replicated treatment control field trial. Backcrossing a US strain of Ae. aegypti carrying Wolbachia wAlbB from Aedes albopictus with a local strain, we generated a wAlbB2-F4 strain incompatible with both the wild-type (no Wolbachia) and wMel-Wolbachia Ae. aegypti now extant in North Queensland. The wAlbB2-F4 strain was manually mass reared with males separated from females using Verily sex-sorting technologies to obtain no detectable female contamination in the field. With community consent, we delivered a total of three million IIT males into three isolated landscapes of over 200 houses each, releasing ∼50 males per house three times a week over 20 wk. Detecting initial overflooding ratios of between 5:1 and 10:1, strong population declines well beyond 80% were detected across all treatment landscapes when compared to controls. Monitoring through the following season to observe the ongoing effect saw one treatment landscape devoid of adult Ae. aegypti early in the season. A second landscape showed reduced adults, and the third recovered fully. These encouraging results in suppressing both wild-type and wMel-Ae. aegypti confirms the utility of bidirectional incompatibility in the field setting, show the IIT to be robust, and indicate that the removal of this arbovirus vector from human-occupied landscapes may be achievable
Genetically-modified possums and all-in-one trapping machines: funding for new predator-free studies
18787A. Allott, stuff, 2021-09-24 13:32:23.
Research into possum genes and creating an all-in-one predator detecting, luring, and trapping machine are among a handful of projects to receive new funding to help bring them into reality. Predator Free 2050 has awarded $2.4 million in Jobs for Nature funding to six postgraduate and post-doctoral researchers from Otago, Canterbury, Lincoln and Auckland universities. University of Otago researcher Alana Alexander, who is trying to discover which genes are important for possums’ reproduction and survival, is one of them. “Gene drives seem very exciting, but they’re a genie in a bottle. We don’t really want possums in New Zealand, but they are part of the ecosystem in Australia, so making sure it’s contained would be really important.” Alexander said she wants people to understand the risks and benefits, so they can give informed consent when thinking about pest control down the line.
$1M in funding for project to cull mouse plagues
18349K. Brown, University of Adelaide NEWSROOM, 2021-08-31 13:47:59.
South Australian researchers are set to use genetic tools to help find innovative solutions to the devastating mouse plagues that have caused massive economic damage to Australian farmers.The University of Adelaide has been awarded $1 million in funding from the South Australian Government’s Research and Innovation Fund (RIF), to undertake the ground-breaking Genetic Biocontrol Technology for Invasive Pests, or Gene Drive, project, in conjunction with the Department for Environment and Water.Researchers from the University of Adelaide will develop genetic strategies to suppress invasive rodents with maximum specificity and safety. The team will also conduct research to engage with stakeholders to understand community views and concerns.
Knowing and Controlling: Engineering Ideals and Gene Drive for Invasive Species Control in Aotearoa New Zealand
18025C. H. Ross, Nature Remade: Engineering Life, Envisioning Worlds, 2021-08-10 17:51:46.
On the islands of Aotearoa, also called New Zealand, invasive species have been a prominent and persistent concern for local ecosystems. Traditional methods of biological control, though, can be difficult to implement and often have harmful side- effects for the environment and human health. Recent developments in genetic engineering have led to the creation of a new technology called gene drive, which some have suggested may pro-vide a safer, easier alternative way to “restore damaged ecosystems and save endangered wildlife by genetically removing invasive species.” 1 While the promises of gene drive for invasive species control have attracted the attention of many in Aotearoa New Zealand interested in preserving or restoring the islands’ native environment, at the same time it has prompted calls for caution regarding their controllability and possible unintended consequences of their use. 2 However, the consideration of gene drive for the control of invasive species in Aotearoa New Zealand is more than just an issue of a controversial use of emerging biotechnology. At stake also are critical questions about what it means to know and control life. What are the kinds of knowledge that enable and underwrite the notions of controlling of life? If gene drive confers the power to control inva-sive species, who decides whether and how that control is exercised and with what responsibilities? And, crucially, what visions of the world are embedded in the aspirations of scientifically knowing and technologically controlling life?Controlling life has long been a central aspiration of the biological sciences. In the early twentieth century, aspirations to greater control over life manifested in rigorous laboratory experimentation, attempts to engineer organisms to be more amenable to human purposes, and explanatory commitments to a mechanistic conception of life. 3 Mechanistic approaches have been ubiquitous in biological practice aimed at bringing living things and their functions into the purview of human intention and volition by isolating, manipulating, and better understanding the function of more fundamental parts. 4 The widespread mechanistic approaches in biology
Selfish DNA: how new gene technology could stop the advance of mice
17450M. McMillan, Tentenfield Star, 2021-06-15 17:20:08.
It used to be that seeing a mouse in the house was a rare occurrence. Now, it's rarely a day that goes by where we aren't seeing or hearing the little vermin. Current methods of baiting and trapping are struggling to control the plague of mice spreading across regional Australia. But a $1.8 million investment from the NSW government might soon give us a new weapon in the war. The government is investing in research into the use of gene drives, or "selfish DNA" - a genetic tool that can help us to control pests. How? Well, to understand gene drives we first need to understand the normal way in which genes are inherited. Mice, like humans, have two copies of each gene, one inherited from their mother and one from their father. We call these copies alleles, and they can be exactly the same or slightly different from each other. Normally, there is a 50/50 chance as to which allele will be passed on to any offspring. If one allele carries some sort of mutation, there is a 50 per cent chance that it will be passed on.
New biocontrol research to help prevent mice plagues
17206Anonymous, The National Tribune, 2021-06-04 15:41:51.
Scientists at the University of Adelaide are partnering with the CSIRO and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions on breakthrough genetic biocontrol research to help control mice populations and prevent future mice plagues. The three-year research program will identify fast acting gene drives, which are designed to spread an inherited characteristic for population control through mice populations at higher-than-normal rates. This would effectively enable scientists to interrupt the breeding cycle and keep mice populations at manageable levels. The NSW Government will provide $1.8 million towards the project to fast-track the delivery of the ‘gene drive technology’ as part of a range of measures not only to mitigate the impacts of the mice currently across NSW, but also to create options to reduce the impact of future population spikes.
“Gene Drive” Technology To Control Mouse Invasions | Liverpool City Champion
17208T. Carrington, Liverpool IL, 2021-06-03 15:45:57.
As western New South Wales faces a devastating mouse plague, the government is investing in groundbreaking genetic biocontrol research that could transform pest management in Australia. Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said the NSW government will provide $ 1.8 million for the project to accelerate delivery of next-generation ‘gene drive’ technology to control future plagues. “The government has invested $ 50 million in a range of supportive measures, not only to mitigate the impacts of the mice that are currently crawling across much of New South Wales, but also to create options to reduce l ‘impact of future population peaks, “he said. Thursday. Until now, farmers had to rely on baiting and trapping to control mouse infestations, but the government is now “accelerating critical research to bring mouse control into the 21st century,” he said. declared. The three-year genetic biocontrol research program will identify fast-acting gene drives that are designed to spread an inherited trait through a population at above normal rates.
Mouse plague control hopes raised with funding for genetic biocontrol research
17289Anonymous, From Press, 2021-06-03 10:36:25.
As communities and farmers continue to battle the mouse plague, a funding announcement for genetic biocontrol research could be a potential game changer for future plagues. The New South Wales government has today announced a $50 million mouse control package which includes $1.8 million dollars in funding for genetic control of mice populations. The project aims to fast-track the delivery of next generation "gene drive" technology to control plagues of the future. Researchers have welcomed the announcement, including Australia's lead researcher Professor Paul Thomas from the University of Adelaide. He said the technology is only relatively new, having been developed to some extent for insects and malaria control, but has not yet been applied to mammals. "So effectively it just uses the natural mating processes to spread a gene though a population that will cause, [and] what we are trying to cause, female [mouse] infertility," he said. "We have modelled it already and that should cause the population to crash over time. "This boost of funding will enable us to move much faster on these projects."Another control approach will also be investigated, the "X-shredder" approach, which eliminates sperm carrying the X chromosome, producing more male than female offspring.
Scientists want to alter rodent genes to prevent mice plagues
17092P. Hannon, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2021-05-23 10:52:32.
Mice plagues, such as the one ravaging parts of inland NSW, could become a thing of the past if scientists succeed in modifying the genes of the rodents so that populations crash before they can take off. Paul Thomas, a researcher at the University of Adelaide, is part of an international consortium including the CSIRO and the US Department of Agriculture, studying how to safely alter genes to make female mice infertile. The techniques learned could potentially be applied to other damaging invasive mammals such as cats and foxes.
Plain language summary: How do we have a public conversation about new technologies for conservation? The possibilities and pitfalls of scientific language
16409Annonymous, Relational Thinking, 2021-02-17 18:30:27.
Having caused a catastrophic decline of animal species, people now look to new technologies to reverse the damage. Gene drive is a potential tool that could increase the proportion of male offspring in rat populations and eventually reduce their overall numbers. Some suggest this tool could eliminate rats from islands, like New Zealand, where rats have a devastating impact on native species. While holding much potential, the New Zealand public has shown hesitation towards genetic tools. In our study, we investigated how four articles, each emphasizing a different aspect of gene drive (i.e., humaneness, pragmatism, decision making, and scientific innovation), impacted opinion towards gene drive alongside people’s emotional responses, biases, and perceived risks towards the tool.
Assisting Evolution: How Far Should We Go to Help Species Adapt?
16369E. Kolbert, YaleEnvironment360, 2021-02-09 20:28:55.
It was a hot, intensely blue day in the Australian Outback, about 350 miles north of Adelaide. I was tagging along with Moseby as she checked the batteries on the motion-sensitive cameras that dot Arid Recovery, an ecosystem restoration project she and her husband launched in 1997. The project sprawls over 47 square miles of red earth and scrub. It’s entirely surrounded by a six-foot-tall fence, which is designed to keep out feral cats and foxes. Inside the main fence is a series of smaller fenced-in paddocks. Several years ago, Moseby decided to start adding cats into some of these. Her reasoning was simple and, in its own way, radical. The outback ecosystem had been so fundamentally changed, that, if the native animals were to survive, they would have to change, too. Perhaps they could be trained to avoid cats, which were introduced to the country by the British colonists and now can be found virtually everywhere in Australia, including most islands.
Should we dim the sun? Will we even have a choice
16384E. Klein, New York Times, 2021-02-09 15:06:18.
“Under a White Sky” is going to be on my best books of 2021 list. It’s a wonderful work. Kolbert is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sixth Extinction,” which you may have read. She is a staff writer at The New Yorker and just one of the great science journalists of this time, and particularly one of the great climate journalists of this age. But this book, this book’s existence is evidence of how badly that fight is going. This is a book about what we are going to need to contemplate in the coming years that we don’t want to. It’s a book about taking responsibility for how irreversibly we have altered the natural world; how often we have tried to control it, and then watched those attempts at control fail; how often the best most scientific minds of the age have come up with some brilliant solution, implemented it, and then watched calamity result. And at the same time — and this is what makes the book so worthwhile — it is a book about how there is no going back. Not now, not ever. We are in the Anthropocene. The future from here is an endless layering on of new efforts to control the consequences of our past efforts. We don’t get to flinch or pretend we don’t have to contemplate any of this. We’ve gone too far. One of the hardest things to do as a writer — and I tell you this from personal experience — is to write ambivalence. It’s easy to write a polemic or a sharp take. It is hard to write down the middle path, where you are simply describing things as they are, knowing that every possible obvious answer you can come to is probably a bad one, knowing that the hubris embedded in past attempts to solve this problem means any future brilliant idea is likely to end that way, too, but that doesn’t mean we can do nothing. But Kolbert walks that path really beautifully here, which is why I wanted to talk to her for the show. As always, my email is [email protected]. I’m always interested to know who you’d like to see on the show. The weirder, the better. So send me your guest suggestions. Here’s Elizabeth Kolbert.
Public attitudes towards synthetic biology
16363CSIRO, Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, 2021-02-08 20:06:39.
A national survey has been conducted by CSIRO’s Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform as an important first step in measuring public attitudes towards synthetic biology. The survey draws on the views of more than 8,000 Australians, and researchers are examining the data to determine current attitudes to these emerging technologies
CRISPR and the splice to survive: New gene-editing technology could be used to save species from extinction—or to eliminate them.
16011E. Kolbert, New Yorker, 2021-01-11 14:25:59.
About a year ago, not long before the pandemic began, I paid a visit to the center, which is an hour southwest of Melbourne. The draw was an experiment on a species of giant toad known familiarly as the cane toad. The toad was introduced to Australia as an agent of pest control, but it promptly got out of control itself, producing an ecological disaster. Researchers at the A.C.D.P. were hoping to put the toad back in the bottle, as it were, using crispr.
Conservation pest control with new technologies: public perceptions
15913E. A. MacDonald, M. B. Neff, E. Edwards, F. Medvecky and J. Balanovic, Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2021-01-04 13:45:38.
We conducted eleven focus groups in New Zealand to explore three questions about novel technologies (gene drive and two others for comparison of pest control tools): (1) what are the risks/benefits? (2) how do they compare to current methods? and (3) who should be represented on a panel that evaluates the tools and what factors should they consider?
Researchers help complete world first wasp genome project
14798Staff, The National Tribune, 2020-10-21 15:12:01.
In a world first, New Zealand researchers have sequenced the genome of three wasps, two of which are invasive wasps in New Zealand, paving the way for new methods of control for these significant pests.
Researchers complete world first wasp genome project
14796University of Otago, Phys Org, 2020-10-21 15:07:20.
In a world first, New Zealand researchers have sequenced the genome of three wasps, two of which are invasive wasps in New Zealand, paving the way for new methods of control for these significant pests.
Biotechnologies in pest wasp control: taking the sting out of pest management for Māori businesses?
14710S. Palmer and O. R. Mercier, New Genetics and Society, 2020-07-31 19:13:18.
A Maori-centered mixed-method study gauged the perceptions of eight Maori businesses about the potential use of five specific new biotechnological controls in pest management.
Islands as Laboratories: Indigenous Knowledge and Gene Drives in the Pacific
12391R. I. Taitingfong, Human Biology, 91:179-188. 2020-06-01 18:19:55.
This article argues that the genetic engineering technology known as gene drive must be evaluated in the context of the historic and ongoing impacts of settler colonialism and military experimentation on indigenous lands and peoples. After defining gene drive and previewing some of the key ethical issues related to its use, the author compares the language used to justify Cold War–era nuclear testing in the Pacific with contemporary scholarship framing islands as ideal test sites for gene drive–modified organisms. In both cases, perceptions of islands as remote and isolated are mobilized to warrant their treatment as sites of experimentation for emerging technologies. Though gene drive may offer valuable interventions into issues affecting island communities (e.g., vector-borne disease and invasive species management), proposals to conduct the first open trials of gene drive on islands are complicit in a long history of injustice that has treated islands (and their residents) as dispensable to the risks and unintended consequences associated with experimentation. This article contends that ethical gene drive research cannot be achieved without the inclusion of indigenous peoples as key stakeholders and provides three recommendations to guide community engagement involving indigenous communities: centering indigenous self-determination, replacing the deficit model of engagement with a truly participatory model, and integrating indigenous knowledge and values in the research and decision-making processes related to gene drive.
NZ’s great pest-free quest: can we get there?
8181J. Morton, NZ Herald, 2020-03-09 19:58:28.
The Government has unveiled how it plans to rid New Zealand of possums, rats and stoats by 2050 – but there's no specific mention of contentious gene-editing technology that many scientists say will be needed. The Predator Free 2050 strategy, being formally launched this morning by Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage, sets out a basic structure for the ambitious mission, while an accompanying action plan focuses on work for the next five years. The 2050 goal, first announced by the previous National-led government in 2016, forms one of New Zealand's principal efforts to turn the tide on pests killing some 25 million native birds each year. The just-released strategy focused on three steps: mobilising groups and setting up collaborations around the country; developing "new and transformational tools and techniques" that'll be required to eradicate the pests; and then applying these at scale across the countryside.
Public Opinion Towards Gene Drive as a Pest Control Approach for Biodiversity Conservation and the Association of Underlying Worldviews
7348E. A. MacDonald, J. Balanovic, E. D. Edwards, W. Abrahamse, B. Frame, A. Greenaway, R. Kannemeyer, N. Kirk, F. Medvecky, T. L. Milfont, J. C. Russell and D. M. Tompkins, Environmental Communication-a Journal of Nature and Culture, 15:1-16. 2020-01-27 21:27:11.
Synthetic gene drive approaches are nascent technologies with potential applicability for pest control for conservation purposes. Responsible science mandates that society be engaged in a dialogue over new technology, particularly where there exist global ramifications as with gene drive. We hypothesize that public attitudes towards gene drive are not formed on scientific knowledge or demographics alone, but are heavily influenced by underlying worldviews, which encapsulate a broad and interactive system of attitudes, beliefs, and values. To test this, we conducted a national survey in New Zealand (n = 8199) and found that respondents clustered into four distinct segments with underlying worldviews, better able to explain attitudes toward gene drive than either the participants' scientific knowledge or other explanatory factors such demographics, political ideology or religiosity. We found that the use of gene drive for biodiversity conservation currently has moderate (32%) levels of support in New Zealand but that varied substantially across the four segments. Should gene drive become a technically viable approach for pest control, understanding the worldviews that shape public decision-making can guide a more empathetic engagement process and empower society to participate in informed decision-making about if and how gene drive should be used for conservation purposes.
Guidance for IBCs: Regulatory requirements for contained research with GMOs containing engineered gene drives
16086Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, Australian Government, Department of Health, 2019-09-01 15:35:42.
This document provides guidance for Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs) and researchers on the regulatory requirements for organisms containing engineered ‘gene drives’, including the physical containment (PC) level of facilities for notifiable low risk dealings (NLRDs). Gene drives are genetic elements that are favoured for inheritance, and which can therefore spread through populations at a greater rate than genes with standard Mendelian inheritance. Gene drives can only spread from sexually reproducing parents to their offspring. If gene technology is used to introduce or create a gene drive in an organism, the resulting organism will be a GMO and subject to regulation under the Gene Technology Act 2000.
Invasion Success and Management Strategies for Social Vespula Wasps
13740P. J. Lester and J. R. Beggs, Annual Review of Entomology, 64:51-71. 2018-09-26 19:38:03.
Three species of Vespula have become invasive in Australia, Hawai'i, New Zealand, and North and South America and continue to spread. Economically, their main negative effect is associated with pollination and the apicultural industry. Climate change is likely to exacerbate their impacts in many regions. Although investigated extensively, no effective biological control agents have yet been found. Emerging technologies such as gene drives are under consideration.
The potential for the use of gene drives for pest control in New Zealand: a perspective
14253P. K. Dearden, N. J. Gemmell, O. R. Mercier, P. J. Lester, M. J. Scott, R. D. Newcomb, T. R. Buckley, J. M. E. Jacobs, S. G. Goldson and D. R. Penman, Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 48:225-244. 2017-10-25 14:20:45.
Here we describe the current state of gene drive technologies and present a series of examples to examine the potential benefits and problems arising from gene drive approaches for pest control in New Zealand.
Trends in the development of mammalian pest control technology in New Zealand
13735C. T. Eason, L. Shapiro, S. Ogilvie, C. King and M. Clout, New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 44:267-304. 2017-06-19 19:31:49.
The use of new toxins with advantages in specific settings should be complemented by improvements in resetting trap technology, barrier approaches, and novel biocontrol and genetic concepts. Sodium fluoroacetate (1080) and other important tools have been retained; we have the ingredients for transformational change, and new tools are emerging from a research and development pipeline. However, there has been limited practical experience with emerging technologies compared with traditional or 1080 baits.
The use of gene editing to create gene drives for pest control in New Zealand
16070Royal Society Te Apārangi Gene Editing Panel, Royal Society of New Zealand, 2017-06-06 13:54:28.
to explore the implications of gene editing technology for New Zealand, the Royal Society Te Apārangi has convened a multidisciplinary panel of some of New Zealand’s leading experts to consider the social, cultural, legal and economic implications of revolutionary gene-editing technologies for New Zealand to: • Raise awareness of the scientific possibilities and associated public issues of new gene editing technologies to inform debate • Provide information and guidance for policy makers to address current and new issues needing to be clarified or resolved • Show where gene-editing applications are covered by established policies and regulations and where changes are needed • Provide a New Zealand perspective to the global discussion on this technology and identify where global consensus is important T
Contact Us
Alex Sullivan
Foundation for the
National Institutes of Health
geneconvenevi@fnih.org