Slashdot Mirror
Nuclear Mutant Flies Are Good For Africa?
D\monix writes "According to this article in Reuters, the International Atomic Energy Agency is going to start releasing massive numbers of tsetse flies "sterilized by a burst of radiation" into sub Saharan Africa in order to outnumber and thus eradicate the local fly population. My favorite quote? "The impact of the fly is difficult to exaggerate." You're damn right it is. Anyone else out there think pumping large numbers of mutant insects into the environment might be a bad idea?"
If you don't know the difference, then don't post articles about such topics.
A burst of radiation might cause genetic abberation but a) these flies are sterilized therefore cannot breed and b) the genetic changes are either minor or kill the individuals.
And you can construct strang chains of events that the mutation causes a gene which provides immunity to antibiotica which is transfered to bacteria by viruses but such events are so unlikely that the propability of bacteria developing such immunities on their own is much higher.
This article is the perfect example of these ecoheads who babble about "protecting the nature" and argue by vague ideas and wrong data.
Personally I doubt that the sterilized flies will eradicate the natural population - the lifespan of y fly is rather short and theses individual cannot breed. This seems to be a crackhead idea from the atomic energy agency.
Owner of a Mensa membership card.
Hemos' commentary is quite the misinformed hysteria.
,*horror*, radiation in a completely safe way.
What will he complain about next: those half-dead virii that are intentionally injected into people!?!
Ha Ha Ha! The tetse fly carries the sleeping sickness that threatens the lives and livelihoods of 60 million people.
Boy, what a hoot!
We would hate to use an innovative idea to fight this scurge. Better for people to basically die of insomnia than Hemo's hippy-dippy sensibilities to be offended by the use of
evanchik.net
You're a moron. :p
How can they reproduce if they're sterile