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Genetically Engineered Malaria-Resistant Mosquito

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the tse-tse dept.

David_Bloom writes "According to this Yahoo! News article, a team of German and American genenetic engineering experts have successfully created a malaria-resistant mosquito. Sounds good, but the scientists are still unsure about how to actually apply this to the world's large mosquito population."

35 comments

  1. Perfect. by Jonny+290 · · Score: 1

    Now they're going to breed billions and billions of mosquitoes to add to the planet. Wonderful.

    Ya know, if they had actually added some desirable genetic (to other mosquitoes) mutations, it would work. Like giant mosquito dicks or fat mosquito wallets, or something like that.

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    1. Re:Perfect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now they're going to breed billions and billions of mosquitoes to add to the planet. Wonderful.

      Why is it okay when nature creates a new species, but not if humans do?

      Careful, your hatred of humanity is showing.

  2. Don't need quinine anymore by ObviousGuy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just make sure that you're only bitten by these malaria-resistant mosquitoes.

    Wonder if it's possible if they could introduce this new species in the old environment and have it wipe out the old kind. That's what they do with killer bees, they replace the killer queen with a homely queen and all the bees born thereafter and normal and well-adjusted.

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  3. Interesting possibilities by killeroonie · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe they can further enhance the mosquitoes to produce an opiate-like substance that gets injected into the bloodstream of its victims. I'm not sure of the *practical* uses of such a mosquito, but man, it sure would be fun in the summer time near the swamp!

    1. Re:Interesting possibilities by ObviousGuy · · Score: 1

      Morphitoes?

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  4. Genenetics? by Atrahasis · · Score: 1

    Dear Sir, I am writing to apply for the course in Genenetics offered by your department. I originally intended to apply for genetics, but obviously as it consists of less syllables, it must be rather low-brow when compared to the above course.

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    Games Workshop Petition

  5. Ooops by David_Bloom · · Score: 1, Funny
    While you're at it, I better retake a keyboaroarding class...or maybe go to my speecheech therapist and makaaka sure i donta have a studderudding problem...

    8-P

    (note to moderators: i wrote this slashdot article. this is not offtopic :-D)

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  6. What to do.... by Dr.+Bent · · Score: 1

    Uhhhh...squish it?

  7. Why can't they make mosquitos... by afabbro · · Score: 2, Interesting
    ...that FRIGGIN' DON'T BITE HUMANS!

    You know, I can put this liquid on my dog's skin and for three months, he's immune to fleas. Completely immune - they die if they touch him. Why isn't there something like this for humans?

    Personally, I favor pulling back to suborbital range, saturation bombing the planet with DEET until it's livable, and then coming back.

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    1. Re:Why can't they make mosquitos... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While you're at it get rid of the high-pitched whine. In fact I wouldn't mind the little suckers biting once in a while if they didn't sing around in my bedroom at night and make dang long-lasting itchy spots.

      The above does not go for the Gulf Coast where I have seen them in such numbers that you literally couldn't see the grass, it looked like ground fog, and each one about quarter-sized counting the legs; these guys, you could see their FACIAL EXPRESSION they were so big.

    2. Re:Why can't they make mosquitos... by ObviousGuy · · Score: 1

      Get mosquito-bitten enough times and you'll develop an immunity. Or an allergy...

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    3. Re:Why can't they make mosquitos... by j-turkey · · Score: 2

      Making mosquitoes that don't bite humans is in the cards...maybe not the way you suggest...but its there.

      Have a look at this article at BBC.

      Specifically, this part:
      This could be done by:...
      ...modifying the insects' sense of smell so that they seek out and bite animals rather than humans;


      -Turkey

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      -Turkey

    4. Re:Why can't they make mosquitos... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      animals rather than humans

      Shouldn't that be "animals other than humans"? I mean, where does this guy get off saying I'm not an animal?

    5. Re:Why can't they make mosquitos... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perhaps you should write a letter to the editor rather to whining to the animals reading Slashdot?

    6. Re:Why can't they make mosquitos... by Cyno01 · · Score: 1

      actually allmost everyone is allergic to mosquito bites in the first place, i dont know if getting bitten enough would make someone develop an imunity, but some people aren't allergic to mosquito bites at all, my grandfather wasn't, he'd get a tiny bump and it wouldn't itch at all, lucky bastard

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    7. Re:Why can't they make mosquitos... by ObviousGuy · · Score: 1

      From what I understand (IANAB), even your grandfather was somewhat allergic. The bump seems to be a reaction to the bite, though he is certainly lucky that it doesn't itch.

      I am basing my information on a Discovery Channel show on insect repellents. The researchers in the labs have been bitten enough times that they can be bitten multiple times (by inserting their arm into a box filled with mosquitoes) and still come away with no reaction whatsoever.

      It's not a job I'd want...

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  8. Re:Don't need quinine/replacing dangerous bugs by texchanchan · · Score: 2

    This is reminiscent of this discussion about "releasing massive numbers of tsetse flies 'sterilized by a burst of radiation' into sub Saharan Africa" back in February.

  9. Here's how to do it by martyn+s · · Score: 1

    Dump a bunch of mosquitos that have traits that make them good desirable mates into the environment so they bump out all the existing mosquitos. But make sure the mosquitos you dump are sterile. So you end up kill like 95% of all mosquitos. Then you dump these malaria resistant ones in its place to quickly fill in the vacuum that the others left behind. Of course, if it were that easy to just kill off all the mosquitos they probably would've tried that already.

    Anyway, I think they should make a mosquito that can transmit HIV. That would be a funky terrorist weapon.

    1. Re:Here's how to do it by ObviousGuy · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the HIV carrying mosquito would be great until it spreads into your neighborhood.

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    2. Re:Here's how to do it by martyn+s · · Score: 1

      Man, you reply like that was a serious comment or something. A joke! A crazy sick idea, but a joke.

    3. Re:Here's how to do it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stay put. The FBI is on their way.

    4. Re:Here's how to do it by showboat · · Score: 1

      How do you think government programs get started?

      (Seriously: take a look at the history behind some of those mid-teen numbered amendments... sheesh.)

    5. Re:Here's how to do it by martyn+s · · Score: 1

      Yeah don't you love the ones that somehow invoke "interstate commerce" in order to justify themselvees? Alcohol should be illegal because someone could be driving in a state other than his residence, on business, and he can crash! Our duty to regulate interstate commerce demands that we make alcohol illegal!

    6. Re:Here's how to do it by showboat · · Score: 1

      Um... I think that alcohol is the one thing interstate commerce can't touch. Granted, I think it was a self-imposed limit, but even though they can change such things, they're not wont to do so.

      Waiting until I can hit reply again....

    7. Re:Here's how to do it by martyn+s · · Score: 1

      Ok, fine, then discrimination. I don't like to use that example because discrimination laws happen to be a good thing, but the federal government ignoring/defiling the constitution is not. Discrimination became federal through the manipulation of "interstate commerce" laws, just in case a black man is doing business in another state, that's what the laws are for.

  10. Different approach with the tse-tse fly by T.Hobbes · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This reminds me of a diferent approach used to eradicate the tse-tse fly, wherein large quantities of sterile males are introduced into the wild population. This reduces the aggregate number of births; apparently, this almost destorys the tse-tse population over a 3-year period. Slashdot had a story on this awhile ago; google gives more comprehensive links.

  11. Tricky business by skilef · · Score: 1

    There's an old article discussing the possibilities of this experiment.

    If there's one thing I learned, it's the fact that humans tend to forget the complexity and interdependence of ecosystems; research must be done to map and investigate the relationship of the malaria pathogen with other organisms. This may sound crude, but in a way diseases can keep a balance in nature. If the human population keeps growing and searching for ways to fight diseases, they'll get back at us. Think of MRSA for example; all we need is time and enough administered vancomycin (our last resort against several multiple resistant bacteria) to induce complete resistance of pathogens against current antibiotics.

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    1. Re:Tricky business by j-turkey · · Score: 2

      If the human population keeps growing and searching for ways to fight diseases, they'll get back at us. Think of MRSA for example; all we need is time and enough administered vancomycin (our last resort against several multiple resistant bacteria) to induce complete resistance of pathogens against current antibiotics.

      I hear what you're that we should be cautious with science and intraducing populations of organisms (ie Gypsy Moth) -- but to stop searching for cures to diesase is far from the right answer.

      What do you suggest we do? Just bend over and let disease flatten populations? Is it OK that we not fight a disease it its not in our backyard, or if most of the people afflicted are not the right color or relegion? What disease is worth fighting? AIDS? Cancer? Malaria has killed more than both put together. More reasearch has been performed on malaria than most diseases -- agian, you might be right that care should be taken, but this is one that is definitely worth fighting.

      What is comes down to is quality of life. If it weren't for medical science, we would still be dying in our early 40's. Medical science is not our enemy.


      -Turkey

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      -Turkey

    2. Re:Tricky business by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Moreover, the scientists have identified possible way to make it so the mosquito's just don't pass malria onto humans (aka altering their sense of smell). Thus they could still transfer malaria to all the other animals and you can be happy. Very negligable, if any impact of an ecosystem if they were able to sucessfully do it this way.

      In other words, read the story bucko ;)

    3. Re:Tricky business by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If there's one thing I learned, it's the fact that humans tend to forget the complexity and interdependence of ecosystems;

      If there's one thing I've learned, it's that people will believe any pap that Greenpeace and allied organizations can spew out.

      90% of all the species that have ever lived are extinct. The ecosystem is getting along just fine without them. If the "complexity" and "interdependence" (see also "fragile ecology") were so all-fired high, life on earth would've died out long ago.

    4. Re:Tricky business by skilef · · Score: 1

      I am a medical scientist, and the last thing I wanted to imply is that medical science is a bad thing.. The only thing I wanted to make clear is that we don't have to rush all the time and that we have to think twice about consequences of our actions.. The first, sometimes most drastic way to get rid of a problem isn't always the best, especially in the long term.

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    5. Re:Tricky business by j-turkey · · Score: 2

      Skilef,

      I completely agree with where you are coming from...but the article that you link to in your post quotes the scientists specifically paying regard to your concern. Depending on their review process, I don't think that they're necessarily jumping into anything.

      However, the scientists, including Dr Andrea Crisanti at Imperial College London, UK, say there would need to be a full political, ethical and scientific review before any such genetically-modified animals were released into the environment.

      This point was emphasised by Chris Curtis, professor of medical entomology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

      "I think one should have concern for the remote possibility that the modifications could make the mosquitoes able to carry a virus that they cannot carry at present," he told the BBC.

      See what I mean?


      -Turkey

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      -Turkey

  12. Did anyone else read this as... by teamhasnoi · · Score: 1
    Genetically Engineered Malda-Resistant Mosquito??

    'Cause I didn't.

  13. Wipe out mosquitos forever by sjames · · Score: 2

    If they want mosquitos gone, they should convince RIAA executives that in the next 5 years, a mosquito might be used by someone to copy a 'hit single' for a friend.

  14. Wrong focus by Zen+Mastuh · · Score: 2

    They should genetically engineer malaria-resistant humans instead, right?

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