G.M.I Genetically Modified Insects (Invasion of the Warrior Insects)

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This new airborne offensive is being mounted from a business park near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, where a set of low-key laboratories houses the world’s leading centre for GM insect development. Oxitec, a private company spun out of Oxford University in 2002, holds tens of thousands of moths, mosquitoes and flies in its insectaries. They are undergoing genetic engineering as part of the fight against agricultural pests and carriers of human disease.

Apparently, since the turn of this century, scientists have been working away quietly, unraveling the fabric of some of the smaller of this world's inhabitants.

GM is being deployed to extend the “sterile insect” technique that has already successfully eradicated pests such as screw-worms and Mediterranean fruit flies (medflies) in parts of north America. The idea is that vast numbers of sterile yet virile males - at least 10 times as many as the wild population - are released in infected areas. These sterile newcomers swamp the native males, mating with all available females, which then fail to produce any offspring

So they are playing "God" with yet another facet of the system that has evolved over millenia.

The Malaysian government is collaborating with Oxitec to run a field trial with GM insects on Pulau Ketam, an island east of Kuala Lumpur inhabited mainly by Chinese fishing families. Its relative isolation makes Pulau Ketam a good test site, because were Aedes aegypti to be suppressed locally, the success would not be masked by mosquitoes moving in from elsewhere. But some residents are objecting to what they call “warrior” mosquitoes. “What else will the ‘warrior’ mosquitoes kill?” asked Saw Lek, a retired teacher quoted in the South China Morning Post. “We fear, once released, there is no way to control the new mosquito if anything goes wrong.”

They found a small, isolated but inhabited place, to turn a bunch of these things loose.

Sometimes I think I might rather just sleep. Every day I learn about something done in the name of science, defense or whatever other lying label some one wants to stick on it where mankind is not satisfied to allow nature the ability to work in the way it has evolved.

This isn't a new development. It's been going on for quite a few years. Although this was the most recent I could find, there are several other articles that flippantly mention the science with little face time given to the possibly overwhelming implications.

I think a swarm of GMI could definitely make a viable weapon. Combined with GM crops, weather manipulation and economic tampering, who could possibly stand a chance?

Here are some more articles, for your clicking, or ignoring pleasure.
Pew report finds GM insects may offer benefits, but clear regulatory oversight is lacking

GM insects: waiting in the wings?

Scientists create GM mosquitoes to fight malaria and save thousands of lives

Hell....after all, we certainly Know better than nature. She's only been doing it for millions of years.






[edit on 15-7-2009 by KSPigpen]

as much of a science freak as i am, it also scares me that people are modifying nature that took a VERY long time to evolve.

i hope there's also a team of people just focusing on the possible ramifications of this.
ugh.