Google to relese 20 million sterile mosquitos

Look up horizontal gene transfer, and as another poster mentioned look at what happened in Brazil and Zika.

Methinks this might not be too smart.

Seems a bit ironic that they're made sterile by infecting them with a virus.

Brazil Declares an End to Its Zika Health Emergency

Brazil launched a major mosquito eradication program last year, and the health ministry said that from January to April 2017 there were 95 percent fewer cases recorded compared with that same period last year. Zika has been linked to several birth defects, including microcephaly, which causes deformations in the skulls of newborns.

Mosquitoes Kill More Humans Than Human Murderers Do

No other species, including our own, is responsible for the loss of as many human lives each year as mosquitoes are, Gates continues. Humans murder around 475,000 other people each year. Snakes kill around 50,000, while dogs (mainly from rabies transmission) claim another 25,000 lives. Some of the most feared animals (sharks, wolves) kill fewer than 10.

The diseases that mosquitos carry and transmit to people they bite, on the other hand, kill 725,000.

I'm at a loss as to what it is that happened in Brazil that was bad. Seems like they did a good job of getting the deadly little insects under control.

Clearly controlling mosquitoes is in our best interest and since this method uses a naturally occurring bacteria to accomplish that, rather than genetic modification, it's a reasonable thing.

Being opposed to it seems a bit irrational to me.

originally posted by: Czulkang
I just read an article on Drudge Report that they're going to release 20 million mosquitoes that are sterile in Southern California and they'll mate with females and the eggs won't hatch and this is an effort to stop zika and other mosquito-borne viruses and illnesses. I don't know how to link stuff but this seems very stupid to me

Source

Mosquitoes are a part of birds' diets, so first the birds' will have a scarcer food source (with already dwindling numbers), and if a few virus-ridden ones manage to become immune to the virus, then what effects will that virus have upon any mosquito-eating birds/animals? Did anyone bother to check?

a reply to: InTheLight

Humans bad, birds good, therefore humans don't matter?

Malaria
Chikungunya
Dog Heartworm
Dengue
Yellow Fever
Eastern Equine Encephalitis
St. Louis Encephalitis
LaCrosse Encephalitis
Western Equine Encephalitis
West Nile Virus
Zika Virus

What virus by the way? They are using "Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacterium".

originally posted by: Blaine91555
a reply to: InTheLight

Humans bad, birds good, therefore humans don't matter?

Malaria
Chikungunya
Dog Heartworm
Dengue
Yellow Fever
Eastern Equine Encephalitis
St. Louis Encephalitis
LaCrosse Encephalitis
Western Equine Encephalitis
West Nile Virus
Zika Virus

What virus by the way? They are using "Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacterium".

I didn't say that, I am saying why does nature not matter too?

a reply to: InTheLight

It does matter, but whether some admit it or not, we are a part of nature. Everything we do is natural for us as we are just a product of our evolution. We are a highly successful species due to our intelligence and using our intelligence is as natural as a Robin eating a worm.

To not take action against a threat to our lives would be unnatural it seems to me. It would be suicidal. Imagine if we allowed rodents to go unchecked in our cities.

originally posted by: Blaine91555
a reply to: InTheLight

It does matter, but whether some admit it or not, we are a part of nature. Everything we do is natural for us as we are just a product of our evolution. We are a highly successful species due to our intelligence and using our intelligence is as natural as a Robin eating a worm.

To not take action against a threat to our lives would be unnatural it seems to me. It would be suicidal. Imagine if we allowed rodents to go unchecked in our cities.

True, but before we unleash virus and poisons out there to kill these insects/animals, I only hope that they do environmental assessment studies as well...because these will surely end up in our environment, in the food chain, and in us.

a reply to: InTheLight

Wolbachia

Wolbachia is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria which infects arthropod species, including a high proportion of insects, but also some nematodes. It is one of the world's most common parasitic microbes and is possibly the most common reproductive parasite in the biosphere. Its interactions with its hosts are often complex, and in some cases have evolved to be mutualistic rather than parasitic. Some host species cannot reproduce, or even survive, without Wolbachia infection. One study concluded that more than 16% of neotropical insect species carry bacteria of this genus, and as many as 25 to 70% of all insect species are estimated to be potential hosts.

I'd guess that's why they are using Wolbachia, since it's already present in nature and no doubt in the area were this is being tried. Makes perfect sense to me and seems like a safe direction to go.

ETA: There is no virus involved?

They SHOULD release several million hot, insecure, sterile humans into the breeding population to stem the exponential run on real estate... keep the mosquitoes as they are herd cullers extraordinaire.

Uhm... kidding.

Mostly.

originally posted by: Blaine91555
a reply to: InTheLight

Wolbachia

Wolbachia is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria which infects arthropod species, including a high proportion of insects, but also some nematodes. It is one of the world's most common parasitic microbes and is possibly the most common reproductive parasite in the biosphere. Its interactions with its hosts are often complex, and in some cases have evolved to be mutualistic rather than parasitic. Some host species cannot reproduce, or even survive, without Wolbachia infection. One study concluded that more than 16% of neotropical insect species carry bacteria of this genus, and as many as 25 to 70% of all insect species are estimated to be potential hosts.

I'd guess that's why they are using Wolbachia, since it's already present in nature and no doubt in the area were this is being tried. Makes perfect sense to me and seems like a safe direction to go.

ETA: There is no virus involved?

List of anthropod species: (cringes)

crawl.chaosforge.org...

a reply to: Czulkang

So am I right in thinking the science is a female mosquito only ever attempts to breed once?

I can't find anything to confirm/deny this.

originally posted by: Gothmog
My question is
How does anything mate if it is sterile ? Produce offspring ?

Mating is a synonym for sex in this case, and the mosquitoes can, believe it or not, have sex even if they are sterile. It just won't result in any offspring.

If you drain the oil out of your car, the car will still work.. but eventually you will cause irreparable damage. You need to replace the engine..

This is what we are doing to this planet.. Unfortunately that cannot be replaced. you take away those bastard mosquitos.. It will be like removing the oil..

a reply to: Czulkang

What's next, those jerk wasps?

Anyway... Why the fcuk are google getting involved in this?
Tech companies playing god.. wtf is that all about.?

a reply to: InTheLight



We could use some of those sterile mosquitoes up here in Alaska.




Bears, wolves and Eco-tourists are easily dealt with, but those darn mosquitoes are out of control.

a reply to: Blaine91555

Have you people every heard of socks and boots?

a reply to: InTheLight



I don't see mosquitoes wearing muzzles.

The swarms are so bad on the Slope, they can kill Caribou. What did the Caribou ever do to them?

originally posted by: Blaine91555
a reply to: InTheLight

I don't see mosquitoes wearing muzzles.

The swarms are so bad on the Slope, they can kill Caribou. What did the Caribou ever do to them?

All they have to do is go for a swim. Why haven't caribou learned that yet?