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Should Zambia Allow The Testing of Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes? (nhregister.com)
More than 400,000 lives are lost every year to malaria, reports the New York Post. But Thursday Science published two new studies on promisings ways to fight malaria -- with genetic engineering.
The first study focused on whether mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to be more resistant to the malaria-causing parasite would become weaker and less able to mate and breed... The study, led by mosquito vector biologist George Dimopoulos, found that one type of genetically modified mosquito not only bred well, but became more attractive to normal mosquitoes... Within one generation, the mosquito population was becoming 90 percent genetically modified... The results suggest the genetically modified mosquitoes would not just thrive but could possibly drive their genetic immunity to the malaria parasite into mosquito populations to which they are introduced.
The second study published Thursday uses genetic modification of bacteria found inside mosquitoes to fight malaria. Researchers genetically modified a type of bacteria, which caused it to secrete a substance inside the mosquitoes' gut that kills off the malaria-causing parasite before it can develop properly... the genetically modified versions of the bacteria automatically spread to offspring in generation after generation, the researchers found. The next step for both approaches -- the genetically modified mosquitoes and bacteria -- is to test if they work outside the lab in conditions simulating nature. Johns Hopkins has built a "mosquito house" research facility in Zambia designed specifically for such experiments... But the researchers must first convince the Zambian government to allow their genetically modified subjects into its borders.
The second study published Thursday uses genetic modification of bacteria found inside mosquitoes to fight malaria. Researchers genetically modified a type of bacteria, which caused it to secrete a substance inside the mosquitoes' gut that kills off the malaria-causing parasite before it can develop properly... the genetically modified versions of the bacteria automatically spread to offspring in generation after generation, the researchers found. The next step for both approaches -- the genetically modified mosquitoes and bacteria -- is to test if they work outside the lab in conditions simulating nature. Johns Hopkins has built a "mosquito house" research facility in Zambia designed specifically for such experiments... But the researchers must first convince the Zambian government to allow their genetically modified subjects into its borders.
The US is testing GMO mosquitoes in Florida.
This is exactly what the world is worried about and already seeing in some ways from GE crops.
The problem is not opening the box but closing it.
the mosquitoes will just carry another one. The extermination of all species of biting mosquitoes should be the only goal.
There's nothing in TFS or TFA to suggest they shouldn't or that they won't. Just that they've never decided on something like this before.
As always it depends very tightly on the genetic modification. In this case mosquitoes resistant to the malaria bugs so it can not longer live them and hence be spread via those mosquitoes, sounds pretty safe. Obviously the mosquitoes are happier as they are thriving and out breeding unprotected people, people might not be as happy because still noisy irritating mosquitoes, healthier ones but at least no malaria. Well, you can't have everything.
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
They should at the same time enforce a strict one child per family policy.
Or maybe not, some unforseen side effect of this mad scientist thing will make it unnecessary.
Main cause of death and underdevelopment is overpopulation..
What could go wrong?
With a new hypercompetitive super-breeding mosquito with homogenous genetic setup? If that isn't an ideal vector for new diseases, I don't know what is.
Folks, we have been playing god for a few millennia by now. Earlier with selective breeding, now more directly. The difference is negligible. And when it comes to the "unnatural" argument... well, look at a Chihuahua and then talk again.
And introducing "foreign" genes doesn't make it any different. These genes are just like everything else built by the four standard amino acids. With a different sequence than most of what you found in the original organism, granted, but in the end, what exactly is that supposed to mean?
What we need to watch out for is how genes interact with each other. But that's something we can identify pretty quickly. Aside of that, what exactly is the big scare?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Mosquitoes are on the cusp of starting a massive epidemic.
Anything and everything should be tried to knock them down to almost extinction.
Like they have the resources to find out...
I'm nuttier than a squirrel turd!
I foam at the mouth and the genitals.
my penis is shaped like a turkey's head.
any mosquito species is the easiest species to replace - there are so many of them, and we could even eradicate all the blood-sucking mosquitoes and just leave those that don't.
In fact, a mosquito species can even be replaced by entirely different families (i.e. not from Culicidae):
Yet in many cases, scientists acknowledge that the ecological scar left by a missing mosquito would heal quickly as the niche was filled by other organisms. Life would continue as before — or even better. When it comes to the major disease vectors, "it's difficult to see what the downside would be to removal, except for collateral damage", says insect ecologist Steven Juliano, of Illinois State University in Normal. A world without mosquitoes would be "more secure for us", says medical entomologist Carlos Brisola Marcondes from the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil. "The elimination of Anopheles would be very significant for mankind."
From: Ecology: A world without mosquitoes
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
... make the planets over-population problem worse? Just saying.
Mosquitos are just the vector.
Maybe we should release a GMO Home Sapiens that's more resistant and less able to mate and breed instead.
WRT mosquitos in the food chain, wouldn't it be possible to simply break the Malaria cycle?
Once there's no Malaria to spread Anopheles populations could be allowed to recover. There's no reason (other than hating mosquitos) to eradicate the whole species. Or even try.
Malaria has been eliminated in Europe and North America – by draining swamps and spraying. Are there really no more Anopheles left in those parts of the world? There are certainly plenty of other mosquitos left.
One thing that has been shown in multiple countries is if you reduce the childhood death rate, fertility goes down. People no longer have large families, because the are pretty sure the first few will survive. It is when parents have to assume that some of their children will die of disease that they have large familes, just in case.
Prediction for end of Universe #42: Fencepost error in Quantum_bogosort.cpp
The malaria mutates so it can infect the GE mosquitoes, slowing down reproduction of the GE mozzies. The End. So worst that could happen is that it doesn't work. Most likely cause of this is not being able to do a wide enough release, so there is a mixture of GE and non-GE mozzies, alowing the Malaria parasites to develop resistance before they are eliminated.
So, in short, no small-scale limited releases just to make sure!
Prediction for end of Universe #42: Fencepost error in Quantum_bogosort.cpp
And we have been doing this for ages. The only difference is that before, we had no idea what we were doing. We looked for random changes caused by cosmic rays etc. in living things; we even put seeds under an X-Ray (or beta, or gamma-rays) to make random changes in the genetics; or we cross-bread two different plants, producing a random mix of genes that often was not viable of itself,but we could harvest the germ and make it grow outside the seed.
All this we do, and they even get to call the results of this random, uncontrolled gene editing 'organic'.
The difference is that now, we are making single changes that we have an ability to know and predict the results of. This is a much, much safer form of genetic modification than what we have been doing for centures.
Prediction for end of Universe #42: Fencepost error in Quantum_bogosort.cpp
One thing that has been shown repeatedly is that if you reduce the childhood death rate, fertility goes down. People no longer have such large families, because the are pretty sure the first few children will survive. It is when parents have to assume that some of their children will die of disease that they have large families, just in case.
Prediction for end of Universe #42: Fencepost error in Quantum_bogosort.cpp
400,000 people a year say do it!
WTF? just wipe them all out, be done with it.
they don't contribute and are totally unnecessary,
there'd be no impact at all.
just wipe every last one of them out,
yep mass genocite of f-ing mosquitos. get rid of em
And it went... horribly wrong. The result is Trump!
Life Finds A Way.
So what happens when malaria evolves in to something worse because of this?
Sounds like you live in Nambia, a non-existent place that doesn't exist but has great healthcare and no killer bees?
It isn't people writing some fictional thing that could never happen, and simply calling it science fiction as though the risk is zero doesn't make it so.
The risk of an unwanted side effect in a released species is very high. Killer bees being an example, cane toads etc. these are just species released from cross breading or cross habitat. The risks increase considerably more when you create a new species NOT ALREADY IN ANY ECOSYSTEM and thus NOT TESTED IN ANY ECOSYSTEM, and just expect perfect results with no unwanted sideeffects.
Are bugs in code science fiction? Yet genetics is somehow uniquely a perfect science?
like maybe Isla Nublar?
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
any island. If you want to be careful.
First of all, all you folks who said they need to test it in a controlled environment, that's been done out in the open, on North America. Second, obviously they should only do it if the individuals making the decisions get bribed well enough. This is some really dangerous shit. A mere $10k bale of US Benjamin's is not enough to turn a blind eye or say nothing to the press. You need a million. Maybe ten.
Sadly, a Libertarian cannot force his views on another, and freedom cannot spread as does the cancer known as religion.
Should Zombies Allow The Testing of Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes?
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It sounds like a zombie apocalypse movie's opening scene.
My first thought was that such tests should be done on an island....but then an early post said that Florida was already testing GM mosquitoes. If that's correct, then, unless this is a different modification, I guess they might as well go ahead.
One proposal I heard was to modify mosquitoes so that they were immune to malaria, but I doubt that's far enough along to be practical.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
I sure hope they taste better than those neutered males. They just tasted sad.
Should they allow testing? Sure.
Just make absolutely sure there is not way even a single one could accidentally get access to production from the test system.
Long Answer: Nooooooooooooooooo, because: Letting big companies test genetically altered stuff in a third world country is just wrong.
Nambia is already doing it.