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Scientists Use Sex-Crazed Bugs As Pesticide

Posted by samzenpus on from the doin'-it-hopper-style dept.

ByronScott writes "In today's 'gross news' category, some female insects just might be getting lucky. As an alternative to toxic pesticides, scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have created 'super-sexed' sterilized male leafhoppers to knock bug boots with females in the wild, resulting in decreased populations. Yes, that means that the female bugs will miss out on the joys of motherhood, but the idea that the insects will be having some fun instead of being gassed to death by poisons is pretty cool."

3 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. Cool ! by gr8_phk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wait 'til somehow one slips in with the super-sexed modification but not the sterilization.

    1. Re:Cool ! by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Nature... finds a way.

      No, a lot of times it really doesn't.

      --
      Similar to the upcoming US election results
  2. What scienists say by istartedi · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What scientists say: (insert abstract followed by lengthy, scholarly work which includes some mention of sex).

    What journalists hear: SEX, SEX,SEX,SEX,SEX,SEX,SEX,SEX... Oh, BTW SEX!

    The preceding was an homage to Gary Larson author of The Far Side.

    --
    For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?