Sex-Switched Mosquitoes May Help In Fight Against Diseases

Posted by samzenpus on Monday May 25, 2015 @10:03AM from the no-girls-allowed dept.

cstacy writes: Only the female mosquitoes bite and transmit viral diseases such as Dengue Fever. Scientists have finally discovered the elusive genetic switch called Nix, that determines the sex of these blood sucking insects, and hope to selectively eliminate females to control the spread of diseases. "Nix provides us with exciting opportunities to harness mosquito sex in the fight against infectious diseases because maleness is the ultimate disease-refractory trait," explained Zhijian Jake Tu, an affiliate of the Fralin Life Science Institute and a biochemistry professor from Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

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The new all-male mosquito population... by SailorSpork · 2015-05-25 10:57 · Score: 5, Funny

...shall be called Brosquitoes.
Re:Why not just kill them all? by Billly+Gates · 2015-05-25 11:03 · Score: 4, Insightful

Arctic mosquitos do. In places too cold for most bees or tundra where there are no trees for a hive arctic mosquitos pollinate and drive you batshit insane at the same time.

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Re:Why not just kill them all? by Intrepid+imaginaut · 2015-05-25 11:38 · Score: 4, Insightful

Can't that be said for everything?
No it can't, you illiterate dickhead relativist. Mosquitoes are genuinely useless.