Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to be Released in the US for the First Time

Originally posted by theRhenn
reply to post by theRhenn

 

I wanted to mention also... There is a specific breed of duck that we have a great deal of in Louisiana. Their main diet are many thousands of these mosquito larve every day. I forget the name. They're kinda uglyish, white ducks with some kinda knotted up roughness around it's nose holes in it's bill. That would totaly wipe out this species!

and so the chain reaction would begin

Originally posted by Misterlondon
This is a very bad idea..... were messing with the balance of nature here....

One little hurricane and they will be spread all up and down the US east coast.

Meh, I don't see anything bad coming from beta testing in Florida. After all, it IS Florida... As long as the sweet, sweet oranges are protected from those buzzing devils, all will be well in the world. Lets all prey that the testing goes sour for the mosqeeters though, lest the government perfects there insect civil enforcement brigade and sets off to GE an army of wasps... Just sayin.

Keep in mind that this is not going to exterminate the species, just reduce it.

There is already an entire industry of chemicals that people have been using for years to limit the mosquito populations.

From planes and trucks spraying to you buying some deet products.

Personally I would rather have less chemicals in my environment.


There is a ton of good that can come from genetics.

Unfortunately money is the motivation for it all, not the greater good.


Follow the money on this.

It won't matter if there are negative consequences, as long as they make their money.

Originally posted by Misterlondon
This is a very bad idea..... were messing with the balance of nature here....

lol we ARE a part of nature, so if we are messing with its balance its what nature intended us to do all along. Screw it, let the chips fall where they may and lest us reap the harvest we sow. For we are all responsible for what we do and dont do.

Wonder of these new baby's can finally carry payloads like AIDS and other killer diseases! Why Mosquitoes? Makes you wonder.

AS mentioned before by ugie1028
REVELATION coming into fullfilment....Revelation Chapter 9 verses 9-11

AS mentioned before by ugie1028
REVELATION coming into fullfilment....Revelation Chapter 9 verses 9-11

They actually released these for the first time worldwide in my country Grand Cayman, without permission from the public.

The government just allowed this without further research or public discussions and approval.

Thus far I cannot say any negative affects, but I am worried about looking at data in the next 5 years and seeing some increase in cancer or particular disease or decrease in particular species of animal/insects... I think something has to happen negative because I believe that humans playing God never ends well.

reply to post by DavidLeetjer


I didn't say that...

re-read the first page.

This is what I'm seeing these mosquitoes mutating into.


yuck!

Did anyone post a video clip of those crappy, straight to video, horror movies that featured giant mosquitoes as the antagonists probably from the early nineties? Anyone? Anybody?! Oh well, too much work, anyway it was a movie with giant mosquitoes terrorizing a rural town--another example of life imitating art? Bad idea methinks, scientists and bureaucrats.

Originally posted by Misterlondon
This is a very bad idea..... were messing with the balance of nature here....

Unexpected results...

Originally posted by TheOven
Keep in mind that this is not going to exterminate the species, just reduce it.

How do you know that for sure?

If this really works, and it doesn't kill us all and turn us into zombies, that eat living flesh that destroy all life on this planet - I will be very happy, because there's nothing I hate more than mosquitoes.

I would like to see assurances that the government thought of everything. I hate it when people have knee jerk reactions without thinking of everything. By "everything", I am wondering what eats mosquitos? Something eats them. Probably birds or bats. Maybe toads. What about when mosquitos die? Probably fish and salamanders eat them. If the incidence of people losing their eyes to bird strikes goes up, we can blame the decimated mosquito population as birds get their protein from another source.

Florida is already being invaded with Bermese Pythons (I am not sure if I spelled this correctly) and many other invasive species. Now they are going to release these lethal mosquitos. Another point I would like to make is these things fly, and me being a Native of North Carolina and my family still living there, I am worried. These things breed and hatch and spread like wildfire. This is serious.

reply to post by grey580

What could happen?
SMH

Famous last words?

The problem with this is that the genes inserted into the mosquitos might find their way into other species by the process of horizontl gene transfer:

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), also lateral gene transfer (LGT), is any process in which an organism incorporates genetic material from another organism without being the offspring of that organism.

...

There is some evidence that even higher plants and animals have been affected and this has raised concerns for safety. [16] However, Richardson and Palmer (2007) state: "Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has played a major role in bacterial evolution and is fairly common in certain unicellular eukaryotes. However, the prevalence and importance of HGT in the evolution of multicellular eukaryotes remain unclear." [17]

Due to the increasing amount of evidence suggesting the importance of these phenomena for evolution (see below) molecular biologists such as Peter Gogarten have described horizontal gene transfer as "A New Paradigm for Biology". [18]

It should also be noted that the process may be a hidden hazard of genetic engineering as it may allow dangerous transgenic DNA to spread from species to species. [16]

emphasis mine



It seems logical to me that the genes that are inserted in to the mosquito genome are more amenable to transferrence anyway, sqo they would be more likely to have that ability.

So these genes which inhibit regeneration finding their way in to other species would lead to what?