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A GIANT TECHNOLOGY firm is about to release up to 20 million infected mosquitoes into the centre of California this summer.
But it’s a good thing.
The Debug Project – now named Debug Fresno – which launched last week by Alphabet Inc.’s Verily Life Sciences (formerly of Google X), aims to “reduce the global health impact that disease-carrying mosquitoes inflict on people around the world”.
The male mosquitoes are raised in machines and are infected with Wolbachia, a natural bacterium.
When the sterile male mosquitoes mate with wild females, the resulting eggs won’t hatch.
The lab-infected mosquitoes are harmless to humans.
Debug Fresno will target the aedes aegypti mosquito, which can transmit diseases like Zika, dengue and chikungunya. They first appeared in the central valley of California in 2013, and since then have become pervasive in Fresno County.
The study will take place over a 20-week period in two neighbourhoods, each about 300 acres in size.
“To measure our outcomes, we will compare the adult population density and egg hatching of aedes aegypti in these targeted areas to two control neighbourhoods,” a statement from Verily said.
Verily is Alphabet Inc.’s research organisation that studies life sciences. The organisation was formerly a division of Google X until August 2015 when they became an independent subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
Verily teamed up with Fresno County’s Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District (CMAD) and MosquitoMate, a mosquito reduction control company, to complete the project.
Previous trial
The team at Verily piloted the first US release of male mosquitoes with Wolbachia into the Fresno area in 2016.
However, the 2017 project will see a 25% increase in the 2016 numbers, with a total of one million non-biting sterile male mosquitoes released weekly.
“Even though they’re not actively and currently transmitting disease in California, we have to try to stay ahead of these diseases,” Jodi Holeman, scientific-technical services director at CMAD said.
Meanwhile, MosquitoMate has already been using a similar process of breeding sterile male mosquitos to kill dangerous breeds such as the Asian Tiger mosquito, who are invasive to the US.
The company claims that it managed decreases of up to 80% in Asian Tiger populations in some areas of treatment.
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I’m sure this is how the apocalypse comes about.
These mossies will mutate and humanity will be s c r e w e d..
They’d have to mutate in a specific way, and the range of possible mutations will have been computed and assumed stable and harmless. But still, it’s an assumption and those are the mother of all …
This is mankind displying it’s marvelous control over nature, what could possibly go wrong !
@winston smith: isn’t this the opening sequence of a dozen zombie movies.
Jeebus! Releasing millions of genetically engineered bugs into the wild!! What could possibly go wrong eh!?
Worst case scenario, hey have to release 100 million genetically modified superbugs that will feed on the Mosquitos
I for one will welcome our six-legged flying overlords.
@Harry Whitehead: Sorry, missed Elma Phudd’s comment.
@Harry Whitehead: It’s alright – there’s enough Simpsons references for everyone
@Dub_Right: where does it say genetically engineered? The mossies are infected with a naturally occurring bacterium, that’s not genetic engineering.
@Simon White: Ah yeah, but it’s more fun to say they’re genetically engineered and to start frothing at the mouth in anger and stock up on tinned foods.
I can’t wait til the true life trilogy is released; Planet of the mosquitoes . It will involve a crazy president who is not in tune with the world and some crazy scientists, and one golfer who survives because he avoids an inevitable doom by turning down his chance represent his country at a tournament.
As was said in Jurassic Park – life will always find a way!!! Im sceptical about this..
@Lydia McLoughlin: yes. Mans attempt to manipulate and control nature has had many negative outcomes. The best strategy is biological control if possible. Inhibit their habitats and increase natural predators. Birds, bats, frogs will gobble up many insects.
@Ranty McCrank: This is biological control. Read the article.
Can we do this with humans, experiment with Trump supporters and then FF/FG supporters if it’s a success?
Humans messing with nature…. never goes wrong.
@Dave Thomas: Reminds me of myxomatosis to be honest.
@Dave Thomas: Most of the time humans messing with nature goes pretty well.
Think antibiotics, cancer drugs (any medications really), GM superfoods, prosthetic limbs, vaccines, etc.
Nature isn’t always very nice to us (see: mosquitos causing millions dead) so we often have to fix it in our favour.
Well, I for one welcome..
@Elma Phudd: …..our mosquito overlords
Someone better tell Rory Mc illroy
Erm…What?
Google X… Doesn’t sound dodgy at all, does it.
Pandora’s box opened.I hope they have thought out all the possible permutations.
Not that we in Ireland have anything to be worried about ,we have our own host parasites .
Google are supposed to be killing bugs not releasing them !
@eastsmer #IRExit: soon you’ll have to pay Semantec 50 quid a year to keep you safe from Google bugs.
You didn’t atone after the plague of locusts
Mosquitos will see you all repent
Repent
It’s a matter of time before it is a global problem. Mosquito related diseases have been around for a long time originating in Africa. It’s only in recent years that Zika, for example, has spread like wildfire in such a short span of time. This is because anybody can travel anywhere in the world now.
Nine out of ten people don’t show any symptoms and so become unknowing carriers. The rising heat of the planet caused by global warming is allowing the Mosquito to alter its life cycle; as temperatures rise some can go from the larva stage to adult in as little as two days. This coupled with the fact they can now survive winters in places they never could before, like Washington D.C, means that they are adapting to the cold. It’s plausible they could live in any climate in the future…
Does Caesar know about this?
have your say