Genetically Modified Mosquitos

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Originally Posted by Moh

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

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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

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Originally Posted by ecstasy

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

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

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

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Originally Posted by Catzsy

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

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So how's it going to work lol?

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Originally Posted by Moh

So how's it going to work lol?

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

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.

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Originally Posted by Catzsy

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

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But the offspring could still contract malaria :S

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Originally Posted by Transcripts

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

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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.

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Originally Posted by ecstasy

But the offspring could still contract malaria :S

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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.

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Originally Posted by AlexOC

Does Malaria kill the mosquito?

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

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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.