
750M genetically engineered mosquitoes approved for release in Florida Keys - belltaco
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/19/health/gmo-mosquitoes-approved-florida-scn-wellness/index.html
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magneticnorth
From the article: "a trial in an urban area of Brazil reduced the Aedes
aegypti by 95%."

I do share some of the concern about major environmental modification, but a
bigger part of me is just excited at the prospect of fewer mosquitoes. I hope
this trial goes well!

~~~
stubish
You don't get fewer mosquitoes unfortunately. You just get fewer Aedes Aegypti
mosquitoes, and the diseases they carry. Other species that want to prey on
you will increase in number.

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wcarron
Ya know, as much as the general idea of genetic engineering repulses me,
mosquitos are one of the only organisms I am perfectly fine with putting aside
my reservations for. I dream of a day when humans wipe them from the face of
the earth.

I think it's also important to note that certain mosquito species (the ones
which most commonly carry diseases) can be targeted, leaving other mosquito
populations as they were.

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asdff
What repulses you about it? In practice, it's not any different than
domestication. Just quicker and less resource intensive.

~~~
wcarron
I am not talking about GMO corn or any plants. I'm fine with eating "fancy
corn". I'm speaking about GE in the animal kingdom. Genetic engineering has a
massive and terrifying potential. Like nuclear weapons, genetic engineering is
Pandora's Box, plain and simple. Let us hope humans are smart enough not to
open it, this time.

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neckardt
This is known as the sterile insect technique(SIT) and has proven effective in
quite a few cases[0]. Looking at the list of times this has been attempted it
doesn't look like there have ever been any adverse effects[1].

[0]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterile_insect_technique#Succe...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterile_insect_technique#Successful_programs)

[1]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sterile_insect_techniq...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sterile_insect_technique_trials)

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adrianmonk
This looks like the official press release:

[https://www.oxitec.com/en/news/oxitec-announces-landmark-
app...](https://www.oxitec.com/en/news/oxitec-announces-landmark-approval-of-
florida-keys-pilot-project-to-combat-mosquito-that-transmits-dengue-zika)

An earlier press release ([https://www.oxitec.com/en/news/oxitec-
transitioning-friendly...](https://www.oxitec.com/en/news/oxitec-
transitioning-friendly-self-limiting-mosquitoes-to-2nd-generation-technology-
platform-paving-way-to-new-scalability-performance-and-cost-breakthroughs))
describes their self-limiting technology:

> _Oxitec’s 2nd generation insect technology uses two small genetic
> modifications to create self-limiting, non-biting insects that are male-
> selecting (only male progeny survive from mating with a wild-type female
> insect). Upon the mating between an engineered Oxitec male insect and a
> wild-type female target insect, the female progeny die, generating near-term
> suppression effects. The male progeny survive, half of which carry the self-
> limiting gene while the other half carry natural insecticide-susceptibility
> genes. In subsequent generations, the self-limiting gene is diluted via a
> Mendelian pattern – enabling population suppression for up to 10 subsequent
> generations before the introduced genes are eliminated from the
> environment._

So it sounds like they are engineered to leave behind no artificial genes over
the long term. (However, there will still be wild mosquitoes descended from
genetically engineered ones, but apparently with genes that came from natural
sources.)

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sushshshsh
I love how people are allowed to modify the public world like this with "best
guess" attempts at "this shouldnt have any bad side effects" but I can't get a
G Drive approved at my company.

~~~
hikerclimb
Yea it’s funny... it will probably backfire and we will have another disaster
by humans... doesn’t really surprise me

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metiscus
To a certain extent this is what Jurassic Park was warning about.

~~~
aliswe
I disagree, in JP they had the intent of not having any effect at all on the
environment (outside the island).

~~~
metiscus
My point was that they engineered the dinosaurs to depend on lysine or
whatever as well as making them all one gender. The idea was to prevent
unplanned reproduction and ensure that they maintained control. As the saying
goes, life finds a way. Now fiction and reality are different but the warning
is there.

