
Researchers Release Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes - ukdm
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/27304/?ref=rss
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Vivtek
Oh man, this is good news. We lived in Puerto Rico for five years, and a year
after we came back to Indiana, one of our son's classmates died of dengue. It
was nearly under control in the 70's, but "nearly under control" just means
you can stop paying for control measures - so it's come back with a vengeance
in the past decade or so.

Nasty stuff. Acts just like a bad flu, and in a bad case they hospitalize you
- mostly for dehydration; it's a viral disease so there's not much specific
they can do. Then, after you're better, if you're not lucky, you're home from
the hospital a day or two, suddenly don't feel so well, and fifteen minutes
later you're dead of shock. Just like my son's friend. He was 11.

~~~
rohit89
I had it a few years back. I had fever with headaches and couldn't eat much
because I kept puking after every meal. I got admitted to hospital and they
found that my platelet count was dropping as well. They were preparing for the
possibility that I would need to get a blood transfusion when it stabilized
and started improving. Apparently, they were waiting for the count to drop
below a certain threshold and mine started recovering just above that value.

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alexholehouse
_A second concern is that the engineered lethality gene could somehow be
transferred to other environmentally-important insects, such as those vital
for pollination._

I'm not sure why this is a concern, but inter species horizontal gene transfer
(in insects) isn't really something that happens. In bacteria sure, in plants
maybe, but this is very much not a case of, "Eat a mosquito, get a gene".

~~~
gort
I have to speculate since the article is short on molecular details, but I
would guess the mosquitoes carry simple knockout mutations which prevent them
from manufacturing some essential compound, maybe an amino acid.

Therefore, there's nothing of consequence to transfer to another species.
You'd be transfering a gene that doesn't do anything.

Even if, in addition to transferring to another species, it somehow replaced
the working gene in some individual, then the gene would simply die out due to
the heavy selection pressure against it, leaving the rest of the population
unharmed. (To counteract that with the mosquitoes, I take it fresh supplies of
the engineered males are going to be repeatedly introduced?)

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meric
3.5% of offsprings between these mosquitoes and "normal' mosquitoes survive. I
wonder if these offsprings are immune. If they are then that means the
experiment failed - In a few generations the population will be back and you
might not be able to use the asme trick as before - those immune offsprings
will mate with the engineered mosquitoes, whose offsprings _may_ be immune
also.

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dennisgorelik
How could that possibly work? If off-springs of these genetically modified
mosquitoes die, then only original, non-modified genes would propagate.

I would understand if genetically modified genes gave mosquitoes some
advantage such as ability to resist infection. I believe Bill Gates released
such mosquitoes on TED talk.

But modifications that cripple mosquitoes are doomed.

~~~
brmj
Presumably the plan is to keep breading them in captivity and releasing them,
such that those genes are constantly being reintroduced.

~~~
dennisgorelik
It's a compelling reason to charge taxpayers in perpetuity.

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iwwr
So far, the only real successful method of removing mosquitoes has been
massive spraying of insecticide, along with draining swampland. The Panama
Canal owes its existence to these efforts, for instance.

Genetics may be a second way to do it now. What would be a worst-case scenario
in these Cayman Islands trials?

~~~
WalterSear
Worst case is the genes do something unexpected and advantageous to mosquitoes
and a breeding pair their find their way on to an airplane.

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adsr
The only concern I have with this is the impact this may have on the eco
system that is hard or impossible to predict. I guess that it's very hard to
impossible to go back after the fact.

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mrleinad
_A second concern is that the engineered lethality gene could somehow be
transferred to other environmentally-important insects, such as those vital
for pollination._

Really? And they still released them into the wild? What about the
consequences for other species that consume those mosquitoes as part of their
diet?

I'm still amazed at how we humans consider ourselves so wise to keep messing
around with nature in this way, just to keep one disease under control.

~~~
oz
Nature has been messing with _itself_ for billions of years. It's called
evolution.

The whole point of human intelligence is _control over our environment_. Yes,
there are risks, and always will be risks. But that does not mean we should
not _act._

~~~
firefoxman1
Da truth.

------
knodi
I have a feeling zombie apocalypse is coming.

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maeon3
Maybe they could genetically engineer a mosquito that is a superior mate that
can carry the aids virus which mutates to become airborne. Have it populate
the wild and have it find a home on every continent. We could finally get a
cure for aids because the 30 year survival of mankind depends on it.

Let them into the wild and publish how you did it. So Kim Jong II can make it
too.

Regulating the introduction of new lifeforms designed to subdue others is what
Congress should be debating. Not sopa.

