Genetically Modified Mosquitos

[Catzsy]

This research has been going on for a few years but has got to the stage where they are going to do trials. I think it's pretty amazing that the world maybe on the threshold of wiping out Malaria one of the biggest killers in the third world.

Link:
http://www.brainicane.com/2010/07/15/genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-are-100-percent-resistant-to-malaria-parasite/

[AgnesIO]

It is a fantastic idea, but as they say in the article, it will take a long time for the new mosquito's to take over current 'mozzies'.

I am against modifying animals to make them more suited for our liking though, but at the same time wiping out malaria would be fantastic.

[Jordy]

Certainly an interesting way to get rid of Malaria but it seems that we're still decades off malaria being eradicated. They need to come up with a way to make the GM Mosquitoes better than normal Mosquitoes to reduce the competition. That way the normal ones will die out to be replaced by the more competitive GM ones, however they don't know how to do this yet. Could certainly be risky genetically modifying entire species though, if things go wrong it could be catastrophic on ecosystems.

[AlexOC]

Does Malaria kill the mosquito?

If not then it would be hard to replace the current mosquitos without, well killing them all.

[Catzsy]

Well genetic modification of this sort can only bring positives I believe. It is not doing it for anything flippant like 'Dolly the Sheep'. I feel genetic modification does have a role to play say in food for the third world etc.

[W00TZEH]

Bit too late for Cheryl :(

Alex, before they release them they're going genetically modify them to give them something which will give them an advantage over the real mosquito's

[AlexOC]

Bit too late for Cheryl :(

Alex, before they release them they're going genetically modify them to give them something which will give them an advantage over the real mosquito's

Ahh, i couldn't be arsed reading it all. Well if they do that, then yeah sure, natural selection kicks in. Could take a while though.

[Jordy]

Bit too late for Cheryl :(

Alex, before they release them they're going genetically modify them to give them something which will give them an advantage over the real mosquito'sNo they'll both be equal so it'll take virtually forever for the GM ones to take over the real ones. Hence why they need to further modify the GM ones so they're more competitive. For example if it made them better at reproducing or eating then it'd have an advantage and then wipe them out. Survival of the fittest, evolution etc.

[beth]

i like the idea in theory, but i dunno how effective it will be. it all looks good on paper though.

[Becca]

The idea is great idea, but would it actually work?

[Catzsy]

I think how it works is that the Gm mosquitos have a sterile gene so when mating with normal females the offspring will be sterile thus decreasing the population.

[W00TZEH]

No they'll both be equal so it'll take virtually forever for the GM ones to take over the real ones. Hence why they need to further modify the GM ones so they're more competitive. For example if it made them better at reproducing or eating then it'd have an advantage and then wipe them out. Survival of the fittest, evolution etc.
I swear that's what I just said?

"Before we do this, we have to somehow give the mosquitoes a competitive advantage over the disease-carrying insects," explained Professor Michael Riehle from the University of Arizona a principle investigator on the project.

[Jordy]

I swear that's what I just said?Yeah my bad sorry, quoted wrong post. What's happened to the capitals? :P

[W00TZEH]

I kept forgetting to and just couldn't be arsed in the end.

Ontopic: yay no more malaria

[Fez]

Well, what type of 'competitive edge' could we give them? High metabolism (I forget whether low/higher is better)? A 9mm pistol would solve all of their 'competitive' problems.

[Mathew]

I find it quite depressing to use modified animals to wipe out a pure "race" - just abusing man's power over others.
Nontheless, it is getting rid of malaria - and mosquitos are the most annoying insect out there.

Jolly good.

[Moh]

What if one mates with one that carries malaria, surely the offspring wont be 100% resistant?

What would take longer, trying to get rid of malaria or developing a cute within the future?

[Inseriousity.]

I find it quite depressing to use modified animals to wipe out a pure "race" - just abusing man's power over others.

Yeah I agree, they are annoying although I always wonder how long it'll be before the 'line' is wiped away and redrew somewhere else...

[Fez]

Yeah I agree, they are annoying

Yeah, only annoying since they kill millions of people worldwide every year.

Goal: Make sure the ecosystem is still in tact while taking away the danger to man. I don't see how that would affect their ecosystem. They feed off humans, yes, but I'm pretty sure they like to nom nom wildlife/animals in general too.

If you can save millions worldwide, without destroying a species, then I say yes.

[Mathew]

Another way to look at this is that mosquitos are responsible for keeping the population, in Africa especially, down.
A higher population in Africa would mean more people suffering in poverty, hence even worse lives for these people. So are you sure they should should have the misfortune of being born into this cruel world in the first place?

Not necessarily my point of view, just another opinion.

[ecstasy]

What if one mates with one that carries malaria, surely the offspring wont be 100% resistant?
This. If a GM mosquito mates with a normal mosquito, the offspring aren't going to be 100% resistant. How are they planning on getting around that? :S

[Catzsy]

This. If a GM mosquito mates with a normal mosquito, the offspring aren't going to be resistant. How are they planning on getting around that? :S

The offspring will be sterile so cant breed - that's the crux of it.

[Sarah]

I like the idea of wiping malaria but tampering with nature? I don't like that so much.

[Moh]

The offspring will be sterile so cant breed - that's the crux of it.
So how's it going to work lol?

[Catzsy]

So how's it going to work lol?

The Gm mozzies mate with the female ordinary mozzies and their offspring are sterile so can't breed.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I like it when science can be used in a sensible way and this seems a very sensible idea provided all tests have been done properly. I am against tampering with nature and the civil liberties of humans (which science tends to do much too often nowadays) so this genuinely seems to be a good idea.

[ecstasy]

The Gm mozzies mate with the female ordinary mozzies and their offspring are sterile so can't breed.
But the offspring could still contract malaria :S

[ziziziz]

I like the idea of wiping malaria but tampering with nature? I don't like that so much.
im with her ^ yeh sure removing malaria from the world is great but its not natural.. someones gonna say well tablets to prevent malaria arent natural or whatever so just dont. but its not normal, let nature carrying on being nature.

[Catzsy]

But the offspring could still contract malaria :S

They spread it and is they cant breed then the numbers will be less and less as the program rolls out. I don't think anybody thinks it will be a quick cure.

[StripedTiger]

Does Malaria kill the mosquito?

If not then it would be hard to replace the current mosquitos without, well killing them all.

its all about genes :) the one that prevents malaria in this new one, prevents the mosquito from carrying or whatever, will be dominant. So as these mosquitos breed with others and lay eggs, the new mosquitos will have the dominant gene so the new borns will not carry malaria etc etc etc.
so years down the line the recessive gene which allows the mosquito to carry malaria (well the parasite which causes it) will barely exist in the population.