GMO Mosequitoes Solve Pesticide Issues People are Afraid of Turning Into Mutants

[Sithdarth]

So this is an awesome thing (http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/fda-considering-releasing-genetically-modified-mosquitos-florida) and some of the critism is valid. However some of it (like mosquitoes killing people by inadvertent DNA injection) is simply crazy.

[Flarecobra]

My only request... next time make it so it's not being done by a very annoying insect?

[Sithdarth]

Well the point is that they are actively trying to kill this specific species of mosquito by disrupting its ability to procreate. Thus they have to genetically engineer this species of mosquito so that when they introduce it the life cycle is disrupted.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

The alternative is engineering a super mosquito killer insect. That's where shit would go really bad.

[Aerozord]

FYI link is down

But I read years ago about this idea and my issue then is my issue now. You should not mess with the food chain like this. Alot of animals feed on them. Unless I'm missing something and this specific species has no predators.

[Sithdarth]

FYI link is down

Should be working now.

[Bum Bill Bee]

Heh heh, someone asked me to do this for my next GLAA comic :D

[rpgdemon]

But I read years ago about this idea and my issue then is my issue now. You should not mess with the food chain like this. Alot of animals feed on them. Unless I'm missing something and this specific species has no predators.

Pretty much all ecologists agree that if you killed all the mosquitos, literally nothing would happen, aside from mosquitos not annoying you. They fill no unique niche in an ecosystem, and some other bug would take their spot.

[Aerozord]

Pretty much all ecologists agree that if you killed all the mosquitos, literally nothing would happen, aside from mosquitos not annoying you. They fill no unique niche in an ecosystem, and some other bug would take their spot.

Fair enough, but on strictly personal note I still dislike exterminating an entire species. Yea I know, spread illness and all that but genocide leaves a bad taste in my mouth just as a concept. I do get the opposing knee-jerk reaction. Its human nature to wipe out potential threats.

[RawBot]

The problem lies on a different level.

Oxitec claims that all genetically modified mosquitoes die without being able to reproduce, but it's not true. A small percentage of them survive and do reproduce, spreading their modified genome in the wild. Another small percentage of female, biting OGM mosquitoes are also mistakenly released because it's unrealistic to hope to perfectly sort males from females on such scales.

There's also proof that genes are transferred horizontally, i.e. outside of a parent-child inheritance, although it is only proven for unicellular beings at the moment. If it was to be true for mosquitoes as well, even 100%-guaranteed-sterile-death rates (impossible) and 0% biting females released (also impossible) would not prevent genome leaks in the wild.

Additionally, these GM mosquitoes target only one species of mosquitoes: Even if it was 100% efficient with 0% footprint (again, impossible), it still gives room for other species to spread, some of which are actually worse. As a result, Oxitec is currently developing GM mosquitoes targeting another species.


The point is that the whole argument used by Oxitec to sell their stuff is that it will have no impact in the wild because they spent so much effort into ensuring their GM insects die without leaving a footprint. It is a lie. They're lying because they have to sell a lot to please their investors: Their discourse is commerce, not science.


I read about this in a couple science journals: it's good ol' paper so there's no link to provide. A veeery quick search turned this (http://sustainablepulse.com/2014/02/12/oxitec-negligent-gm-mosquito-release-panama/) up, but I didn't bother checking the credibility of the website. Their article does corroborate what I read on actually reliable papers so I think it's fine.

[BitVyper]

I can't actually find any research on potential ecological impacts of making mosquitoes extinct, so it's entirely possible that this there-will-be-no-consequences business is just a bunch of ecologists talking out of their collective ass in a magazine. I was able to find THAT easily.

That said, I don't really see any problem with trying it in some places to see how it goes. I doubt it would work on a global scale anyway. Controlling populations, sure, but actually making them go extinct? Well, like I said, I doubt it.

[RawBot]

That said, I don't really see any problem with trying it in some places to see how it goes.
It's like I never posted. I shouldn't have named myself after WarBot in Accounting. :D


Some problems:
- Genetically modified biting females erroneously released will bite animals and humans
- Genetically modified males will produce descendants that will survive and breed further
- Modified genes are therefore likely to spread
- These genes make mosquitoes need antibiotics to survive. So what if such genes spread ? In medicine, antibiotics become less and less effective the more you are exposed to them.

It's impossible to predict or control the results of this. At least a decade worth of research would be necessary: We're not done yet understanding pesticides and they've been all over the place for decades causing terrible sanitary issues around the world.

There's already plenty of evidence that "do first, think later" when it comes to massive industrial activity has a dramatic tendency to end up in ecological and sanitary scandals.

So I'm totally for releasing genetically modified things all over the place.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Pretty much all ecologists agree that if you killed all the mosquitos, literally nothing would happen, aside from mosquitos not annoying you. They fill no unique niche in an ecosystem, and some other bug would take their spot.

I would think that they atleast serve as a food source to spiders and the like though?

At any rate, I'd prefer to take the risk mosquitoes that are genetically modified by professionals over mosquitoes that could give me or my loved ones malaria, especially when the alternative is just pumping more pesticides into the world. And as the article states, the modified mosquitoes are male, they aren't going to bite anyone, they're just going to fuck with the genepool. Most fears for human safety are more or less unfounded I feel.

[Flarecobra]

I cannot believe I missed this part when reading it before.

They have done this process before, with very successful results.

Oxitec’s research has surrounded Aedes aegypti mosquitos, which serve as a vector for several diseases. The mosquitos have a modified version of a gene that will kill their progeny as larvae, before they are able to fly. As only female mosquitos bite, the aim is to only release modified males. When these males breed with wild females, the next generation will reduce considerably. During a six-month-long timespan in 2012, Oxitec released a total of 3.3 million modified males in the Cayman Islands and successfully reduced the native mosquito population in the area by 96%

So it's not like they're going into this totally blind. I actually have higher hopes for this then before in fact. :)