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Scientists Release Controversial Genetically Modified Mosquitoes In High-Security Lab (npr.org)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: Scientists have launched a major new phase in the testing of a controversial genetically modified organism: a mosquito designed to quickly spread a genetic mutation lethal to its own species, NPR has learned. For the first time, researchers have begun large-scale releases of the engineered insects, into a high-security laboratory in Terni, Italy. The goal is to see if the mosquitoes could eventually provide a powerful new weapon to help eradicate malaria in Africa, where most cases occur. The lab was specially built to evaluate the modified insects in as close to a natural environment as possible without the risk of releasing them into the wild, about which there are deep concerns regarding unforeseen effects on the environment.
To prevent any unforeseen effects on the environment, scientists have always tried to keep genetically engineered organisms from spreading their mutations. But in this case, researchers want the modification to spread. So they engineered mosquitoes with a "gene drive." A gene drive is like a "selfish gene," says entomologist Ruth Mueller, because it doesn't follow the normal rules of genetics. Normally, traits are passed to only half of all offspring. With the gene drive, nearly all the progeny inherit the modification. Researchers created the mosquitoes by using the powerful new gene-editing technique known as CRISPR, which Mueller likens to a "molecular scissor which can cut at a specific site in the DNA." The cut altered a gene known as "doublesex," which is involved in the sexual development of the mosquitoes. While genetically female, the transformed insects have mouths that resemble male mosquito mouths. That means they can't bite and so can't spread the malaria parasite. In addition, the insects' reproductive organs are deformed, which means they can't lay eggs. As more and more female mosquitoes inherit two copies of the modification, more and more become sterile. Critics fear that these gene-drive mosquitoes could run amok and wreak havoc in the wild. Not only could the insects cause a negative effect on crops by eliminating important pollinators, but the insects' population crash could also lead to other mosquitos coming with other diseases.
Mueller assures NPR's Rob Stein that the lab the mosquitos are in is very secure, adding that even if the mosquitos did escape they would not be able to survive Italy's climate. "To enter the most secure part of the facility, Mueller punches a security code into a keypad to open a sliding glass door," reports NPR. "As the door seals, a powerful blower makes sure none of the genetically modified mosquitoes inside escape. Anyone entering must don white lab coats to make it easier to spot any mosquitoes that might try to hitch a ride out of the lab and must pass through a second sealed door and blower."
To prevent any unforeseen effects on the environment, scientists have always tried to keep genetically engineered organisms from spreading their mutations. But in this case, researchers want the modification to spread. So they engineered mosquitoes with a "gene drive." A gene drive is like a "selfish gene," says entomologist Ruth Mueller, because it doesn't follow the normal rules of genetics. Normally, traits are passed to only half of all offspring. With the gene drive, nearly all the progeny inherit the modification. Researchers created the mosquitoes by using the powerful new gene-editing technique known as CRISPR, which Mueller likens to a "molecular scissor which can cut at a specific site in the DNA." The cut altered a gene known as "doublesex," which is involved in the sexual development of the mosquitoes. While genetically female, the transformed insects have mouths that resemble male mosquito mouths. That means they can't bite and so can't spread the malaria parasite. In addition, the insects' reproductive organs are deformed, which means they can't lay eggs. As more and more female mosquitoes inherit two copies of the modification, more and more become sterile. Critics fear that these gene-drive mosquitoes could run amok and wreak havoc in the wild. Not only could the insects cause a negative effect on crops by eliminating important pollinators, but the insects' population crash could also lead to other mosquitos coming with other diseases.
Mueller assures NPR's Rob Stein that the lab the mosquitos are in is very secure, adding that even if the mosquitos did escape they would not be able to survive Italy's climate. "To enter the most secure part of the facility, Mueller punches a security code into a keypad to open a sliding glass door," reports NPR. "As the door seals, a powerful blower makes sure none of the genetically modified mosquitoes inside escape. Anyone entering must don white lab coats to make it easier to spot any mosquitoes that might try to hitch a ride out of the lab and must pass through a second sealed door and blower."
It's a delicate balance we're playing with. While mosquitoes are dangerous for spreading disease, they are also food sources for other critters. I fear going down this road is going to result in more destruction, which the engineers here may not have anticipated. Alas.
but birds are apparently more important than people. I suspect any other animals this effects will end up more important than people as well.
Yes, I'm sure the lab is "very secure".
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
...lethal to its own species"
This sentence scares the shit of me. We should not be going down that road AT ALL.
yeah a failure could result in mosquitoes that are mostly sterile being released into an environment where there is nothing for them to mate with, and that they can't survive in...
The outcome here could be catastrophic...
Secure? Thought things through? Next theyâ(TM)ll be saying that the apocalypse they released was entirely unforseaable.
So, everyone who enters the lab gets blown?
but birds are apparently more important than people. I suspect any other animals this effects will end up more important than people as well.
For many on the envirowhacko side, humans are the only non-natural animal on the planet.
The "envirowhacko" as you call them, understand that we humans are a part of nature. This is our environment. Damage it and you damage people's health and well being. We evolved in a very complex ecosystem and tampering with it can have horrible consequences. Just look how pesticides are destroying bees - you know the pollinators that our agriculture depends on.
The birds add beauty and music to the world. The mosquitoes are food to many birds, other insects, and bats.
And as we destroy more and more of our habitat for the sake of profits and this idiotic notion of "progress" we are becoming more and more distressed.
I don't blame them. A typical American community is fucking ugly, boring and depressing. It's horribly depressing that one has to drive to a park in order to be in nature and have green space. And then have to put up with idiots playing loud music or driving their ATVs and motorcycles and making all this noise and pollution because they want to "enjoy" nature.
If the movies have taught me anything it's that there is a dead-man switch and if the power were to go out the entire lab will be turned in to a fireball in order to prevent release.
Don't worry, some will escape the flames and we all know there is nothing better than genetically modified flame-proof mosquitoes.
The sterile mosquito has been a thing for a few years and in many countries they have already been released into the wild. Since we still have mosquitos it must not be the catastrophe they are selling. Don't know if this is a more modified one or if passing the genes to all offspring is a new thing but there are already PBS shows on this.
The world is going to be transformed over the next few decades by work like this. Problems like malaria will be addressed. The bad news is that these early efforts carry unknown risks the good news is that the work is being done by experts in the field. This sort of work will be accessible to hackers in very few years so lets hope that regulated agencies beat them to it. If you thought the nuclear standoff of the cold war years was bad just wait for the biological equivalent. The genie is out of the bottle now, work like this is as much a part of national defense as hyper-sonic missiles.
Facts are history now plebs have politics for religion on social media.
I'm not sure I understand how this will work at all. If it's a trait that dooms those specimens that have it, the logical output would simply be that this trait is quickly pruned away by evolutionary processes, i.e. traits that are inherently detrimental to their reproduction are inherently traits that cannot spread effectively.
In my opinion those insects should be modified so, that the bite would cause the target human unable to produce more humans. And then by all means release the mothafuckers...
I for one, assume that we can reverse engineer the ability to reproduce when the human population has shrunk to say 1Bil in numbers...
Win / Win don't You think?
But noooo, once again, They are doing just the opposite.
I mean aren't insects going to be extinct anyways in 100-200 hundred years? At least if we are allowed to continue The but rape of this planet ? To Me this is basically an ill logic. Let's kill those insects that are vital for every ecosystem so that those witch are MOST harmful to it can thrive ?
Using that word in the title implies released into the wild, which is a headline grabber.
Let's get real.
Just like the secure that housed the African Bees? You know, the Killer Bees? Murphy's Laws assumes that Anything that can go wrong will go wrong! This is the type of mistakes "scientists"make all the time. Beware!
Utter bullshit spouted by an entomological ignoramus. There are virtually no pollinators that are mosquito predators. Bees? Nope. Butterflies/moths? Nope. Flies? Nope. Even wasps? Nope.
Nothing's stopping that from happening now. More ignorant crap.
There's also a reverse Dunning-Kruger effect: So afraid due to your blindness, that that fear makes you even more blind.
Example: Anti-vaxxer. GMO opponents. Nuclear opponents.
If the dangersous side effects of some of the mosquitos would be a problem? Doctors reportedly responded, âoegaaaaahrrrrrrâ while savagely attacking the press conferences attendees.
Hmmmm .... Isn't this the opening scene in most scifi / horror movies?
"To enter the most secure part of the facility... punches a security code into a keypad to open a sliding glass doo ... As the door seals, a powerful blower makes sure none of the genetically modified mosquitoes inside escape .....Anyone entering must don white lab coats ..... hitch a ride out of the lab and must pass through a second sealed door and blower."
Are they checking the sole of their feet? LOL!
The Precautionary Principle(with Application to the Genetic Modification ofOrganisms)Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Rupert Read, Raphael Douady, Joseph Norman,Yaneer Bar-YamSchool of Engineering, New York UniversityNew England Complex Systems InstituteInstitute of Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, C.N.R.S., ParisSchool of Philosophy, University of East Anglia
"Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
Wow, you are so far outside of reality it is scary. You don't understand emp's of any kind, nor electronics, nor various power plant designs or even operation. Ya, it is a waste of my time to respond to the troll.
freaking dumb asses. They haven't learned about the experiment with gypsy moths ? How about Plum Island ? read about it. I have a business idea to locate Dragonfly colonies where mosquitos tend to be a problem.
Using that word in the title implies released into the wild, which is a headline grabber.
Let's get real.
But, they released them.. in a high-security lab, which still contains them.
Don't you see how big of a deal this is?
are the ones made of wood
there are only 4 of them left flying, including one in NZ
Oh, sweet. So we aren't going to try and get rid of mosquitos completely, just make it so they won't bite people anymore.
That seems like a much better approach than wiping them off the face of the planet.
fucking hell
The elephant in the room is that we don't actually require more humans and more developed regions of the planet.
There's no avoiding the vaxx now.
IMHO, mosquitoes cause vast harm & very little benefit, to humans & countless species of animals!!!
They carriers of countless diseases, since they are very much like shared syringes!!!
IMHO, our world can do a lot better w/o mosquitoes & their diseases, to fight against endlessly!!!
IMHO, removing all diseases & parasites should/must be a common long term goal for whole humanity!!!
"yeah a failure could result in mosquitoes that are mostly sterile being released into an environment where there is nothing for them to mate with, and that they can't survive in...
The outcome here could be catastrophic..."
That is pretending this entire exercise isn't just intellectual masturbation and a waste of effort and funds if they don't release them in an environment with none of those limitations sooner or later. Since they obviously plan to do that anyway I say just get on with it. My back yard is fine. I give permission, don't even have to tell me when you do it.
And Mulder will have to schlep to Antarctica to rescue her.
Yeah, but saying "they made the cage bigger" doesn't get clicks for your article.
They always get out. Always.
In 20 years, mosquitos will be extinct and the ecosystem will crash.
What type of psychopath thinks the genocide of a species is ok?
Once mosquitoes will be removed, what will frogs eat?
Every person who is responsible for the release should be required to sign a contract guaranteeing that there will be no adverse effects of that release upon penalty of death. No risk, no problem. Why the resistance Mr. Smartypants?
But are they immune to AIDS like APK is?
Holy crap, you certainly skipped the biology classes in favor of reading sci fi. Fantasy world real cosy for ya?
That's unfair. All three technologies do carry significant risks. However vaccination is far safer than atomic power or crazy frankenstein GMO mad science.
Personally, I would build said lab in the center of Antarctica where the temps are -60.
If the mosquitoes made it out of the lab, it would become a mosquito shaped snowflake a few seconds later.
As well as a role to play. We need to stop thinking like we know better than millions of years of evolution.
GMosquitos have been released before!
Even Google did it.
Taking mosquitoes entirely out of the ecosystem by making them sterile? Very dangerous to the ecosystem.
On a recent Science Friday episode they discussed another solution which is actually viable, which is to make mosquitoes shy away from human blood. Humans don't get infected, mosquitoes can continue living, the ecosystem can continue functioning as is, everybody wins.
It will not end well
All technology carries risks. That is simply due to the fact that nothing is inherently just good or bad, it all depends on the application. Of course there's some things that carry more risk than others.
Take the entire field of medical science as an example. There's a huge potential of abuse. Vaccination is only a subset of that.
It's also not only that people fear killer pathogens designed by mad scientists. People pretty much have always been afraid of what medical knowledge could do, hence the Hippocratic Oath and strong ethical oversight as well as many other safety measures in the sciences. Just because there are some black sheep does not mean that we need to cull the entire herd.
And here it's important to understand that not everyone is as incompetent as #58172946. Sure, I also wouldn't trust someone like #58172946 to light a fire without burning down the entire house. But we've been using fires since a long long time without burning the entire world down. This means that there are others who are well capable of doing something that #58172946 can't.
If it was for fear and ignorance driven people like those we'd probably still live in trees. Fortunately we humans are animals of which a good portion is driven by our curiosity. Yes, it does get us killed some times. Just imagine how we figured out in the past what is safe to eat and what not. You can't only watch animals and eat the same things, because our digestive systems are different. At some point we have to conduct an experiment, observe and pass down the information. That is how we learn. And we've gotten a lot better at avoiding casualties.
"Life, Uh, Finds a Way" Jurassic Park, Dr. Ian Malcolm, 1993.
E Proelio Veritas.
Yes, the mosquitoes get released... and proceed to do exactly what they're intended to do which is to get to the mosquito ladies first, prevent them from having any more children and crash the population, hopefully to zero.
If you don't like this, then you and all the others like you are quite welcome to shut yourselves inside a completely sealed environment along with all the remaining people-biting malarial mosquitoes to act as a propagation vector for this disease.
Just don't ever come back out again.
"adding that even if the mosquitos did escape they would not be able to survive Italy's climate"
Northern Italy here, first outdoor mosquito sighting this year: February 22.
It seems like only one of these modifications is necessary (the one that makes the females have male-like mouths): if they can't bite, they can't spread malaria. The other modification to make them sterile then sounds unnecessary and counterproductive, as surely the more the modified mosquitoes spread their genes through successive generations, the more the problem of biting mosquitoes will be eliminated.
On the other hand, the sterile offspring modification sounds like a very sensible precaution against these escaping before the mouth part modification is fully evaluated. Once that's done, presumably the plan would be to remove the sterility modification and release mosquitoes with only the selfish mouth part mod.
Hello,
Every mosquito reproduction is a cross between random-ish individuals in the population. Every cross with a mosquito with the gene drive results in almost 100% of the kids of the cross having the gene drive.
The sexual reproduction of malaria is NOT random-ish at all. Rather, it's highly correlated cross, only malaria within a single mosquito cross with each other. Gene driven populations would tend to remove themselves from competition because they're isolated-ish from the generated population instead of becoming rampant. It's only when a mosquito multiply infects or gets co-infected that a cross would occur.
What MIGHT work as an alternative is: gene drive malaria to be far less virulent. Not a killer or even a serious problem. Keep it alive/healthy otherwise. That gene drive, since it isn't self-limiting, will eventually dominate the population and malaria would no longer be an issue. Because crossing is relatively rare, this will take longer, by far, than a mosquito gene drive. This is just anticipating the natural course of evolution: parasites that kill hosts are de-selected, so the trend is for diseases to become less deadly and less debilitating.
Another alternative, as someone mentioned, is to install a gene drive in mosquitos that kills malaria instead of killing the mosquito. Then you just extinct malaria and not the mosquito, which is less of an ecosystem impact.
Do it in, say, North-Sweden, even IF they escape they freeze before they could do any harm.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
what could possibly go wrong...
from their acknowledgement of the unknown dangers of gm i assumed it would be a self contained environment. having doors just seems incredibly dumb. seal it up and let the project run i could see, but avoiding contamintion by using white suits so you can see them better? please.
Brazil did that two years ago, to good results. https://labiotech.eu/medical/o...
âoeReleasedâ in a high security lab, is not released. RTFA
Fund a virology lab, create a virus, engineer the antidote, distribute antidote to friends/family, then release virus in poor, dense countries/regions world-wide. Much easier than fighting a war over borders.