Millions of GMO insects could be set loose in Florida Keys

[mfcorey1]

KEY WEST, Fla. -

Millions of genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in the Florida Keys if British researchers win approval to use the bugs against two extremely painful viral diseases.

Never before have insects with modified DNA come so close to being set loose in a residential U.S. neighborhood.

"This is essentially using a mosquito as a drug to cure disease," said Michael Doyle, executive director of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, which is waiting to hear if the Food and Drug Administration will allow the experiment.

Dengue and chikungunya are growing threats in the U.S., but some people are more frightened at the thought of being bitten by a genetically modified organism. More than 130,000 signed a Change.org petition against the experiment.

Even potential boosters say those responsible must do more to show that benefits outweigh the risks.

"I think the science is fine, they definitely can kill mosquitoes, but the GMO issue still sticks as something of a thorny issue for the general public," said Phil Lounibos, who studies mosquito control at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory. "It's not even so much about the science — you can't go ahead with something like this if public opinion is negative."

http://www.local10.com/news/millions-of-gmo-insects-could-be-set-loose-in-florida-keys/30913922

[hollysmom]

1. I can see where this end with giant man eating mosquitos

Instead of just scratching the skin, the will snap off our heads and drink our blood like out of a bottle.

[d_r]

2. I think this is a good idea

The GMO mosquito s can't reproduce, they are self limiting because they have dead off spring. This is an invasive species of mosquita and this would be more effective control than spraying pesticides they develop immunity to.

[el_bryanto]

8. Those Dinosaurs in Jurrassic Park couldn't reproduce either

But then it turned out they used Frog DNA so they could afterall. I wonder if these Mosquitos ribbit.

Bryant

[MohRokTah]

10. Because movies ALWAYS present scientific reality.

[el_bryanto]

17. I'm sorry I just find the idea of Ribbiting Mosquitos amusing.

But I am aware that it's not scientifically possible - Mosquitos probably don't have lungs.

Bryant

[LanternWaste]

14. I wonder with the same credibility, "if the Death Star will appear on the far side of the planet..."

"I wonder if these Mosquitos ribbit..."

I wonder with the same credibility, "if the Death Star will appear on the far side of the planet..."

[longship]

3. Yet another excellent use of genetic modification.

It can feed the world, and it can rid the world of pestulence.

I agree that such things should be regulated, tested and controlled -- especially commercial control -- but the science wins in the end.

[GreatGazoo]

25. GMO crops have the same or lower yields as conventional crops

GMO crops are made to withstand additional pesticides.

And in a new paper (PDF) funded by the US Department of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin researchers have essentially negated the "more food" argument as well. The researchers looked at data from UW test plots that compared crop yields from various varieties of hybrid corn, some genetically modified and some not, between 1990 and 2010. While some GM varieties delivered small yield gains, others did not. Several even showed lower yields than non-GM counterparts. With the exception of one commonly used trait—a Bt type designed to kill the European corn borer—the authors conclude, "we were surprised not to find strongly positive transgenic yield effects." Both the glyphosate-tolerant (Roundup Ready) and the Bt trait for corn rootworm caused yields to drop.

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/02/do-gmo-crops-have-lower-yields

Science studies cause and effect. PR on the other hand, often ignores such things.

[Rex]

4. What could go wrong?

[davsand]

23. That was EXACTLY what I said when I first saw this news story.

Maybe it was too much time spent on horror movies as a kid, or maybe it is too much time spent on SyFi as an adult, but in either case, setting loose any non-naturally occurring thing ALWAYS ends up with somebody either getting eaten or some massive plague killing off the population of a major city. Ask any kid or any movie buff and they'll tell you.

The next thing that happens is that a woman must take her shirt off and anyone who has sex dies first...




Laura

[Recursion]

5. People rioted about Jenner's smallpox vaccine

Sometimes you have to do the right thing despite public opinion.

[belzabubba333]

6. with every loser in charge saying "no one could have expected that (fill in the blank ) would have

(fill in the blank)" when something goes wrong i dont think they should unleash a lab experiment into the field. frankenstein was fine until he got out. people are arrogant liars and cheaters and because of that we cant trust anybody to be sure of the results

[NuclearDem]

13. Frankenstein's monster was also fictional.

[djean111]

7. I have read elsewhere that this can just make space for other bad mosquitoes - and then, guess what?

Florida will keep on having to buy GMO mosquitoes!

[SidDithers]

9. Thread from last June along similar lines...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025107753

Talking about controlling the mosquito that spreads malaria.

Sid

[MohRokTah]

11. This is a brilliant use of genetic modification. eom

[MineralMan]

12. Male mosquitoes don't bite mammals.

When these altered males mate with female mosquitoes, the larvae die before maturing into adult mosquitoes. That means that nobody will be bitten by any mosquito with the altered genetics. It sounds like a good control mechanism to me. Similar releases of male insects have been done in the past, usually with the males sterilized by irradiation, though.

I can't see any particular issue with this idea. Science at work to benefit people. If people don't understand the science, they should actually read the article.

[Orrex]

15. What disgusting sexism

Oh, wait.

[MineralMan]

16. LOL!

[ecstatic]

35. Are they 100% sure that the larvae will die?

What if the offspring somehow adapts, survives, and goes on to reproduce?

[MineralMan]

37. Yes, I believe they are. The entire point of this is

to provide males whose offspring will not reach adulthood. I'm sure they've tested that through more than one generation of mosquitoes.

[Sunlei]

18. Chikungunya is spreading very fast & has many Animal reservoirs.

Look at the timeline for 2014 and now 2015 almost 100,000 people in Colombia South America are reported infected. Several infected in Florida.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikungunya#Signs_and_symptoms

[KamaAina]

22. And there was a dengue outbreak on Maui a few years ago

some kids brought it back from a trip to Tahiti.

[NuclearDem]

19. Love the idea.

[jwirr]

20. I don't think I would be so afraid of what happens if one of these bugs bites me. I would be more

afraid of what happens to the next thing in the chain that eats the GMO bug. What is this going to do to the food chain?

[d_r]

21. that's a better question nt

[mike_c]

29. nothing whatsoever that's unique to GMOs....

I mean, the point is vector control, so this will remove significant amounts of Aedes aegypti biomass from the food chain if it's successful, but that is the objective, not a side effect. Consider the alternatives, however. Aedes is largely resistant to most insecticides, so chemical control would likely be especially toxic and would certainly impact non-target species. This particular approach is 100% target specific, with no non-target effects of any consequence. It has no toxicity at all. Lower Aedes biomass will simply be made up with other resources in most cases. There are no predators that are exclusively dependent upon one species of mosquitoes. Depending upon when the progeny die, there might be some reduced water filtration in some isolated instances, but most people who let water accumulate in containers probably don't care much about how well filtered it is anyway.

[NuclearDem]

31. Mosquitos are an anomaly in that they're not particularly important to any ecosystem.

Which is what makes them prime targets for deliberate eradication.

[Zorra]

24. Oryx and Crake

This may not end well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oryx_and_Crake

[Lancero]

26. If you want to see who really believes in Science...

Mention GMO's - Bit intresting how people who are pro-science have a outright hatred to them.

[mike_c]

30. being anti-GMO is pretty much synonymous with being anti-science, IMO....

Lots of anti-GMO folks protest otherwise, but then trot out all the usual non-science and anti-science arguments against GMOs. None can produce actual science that supports their fears, but they often cite "studies" that are so obviously biased and manipulative that they directly subvert the process of scientific investigation, e.g. the Séralini affair.

Rejecting science out of hand because it contradicts one's closely held misconceptions is pretty much the definition of "anti-science" as far as I'm concerned. Deliberately doing bad science to manipulate the outcome of experiments in support of an anti-science agenda is just the icing on the cake.

[Lancero]

32. Kinda interesting how similar anti-gmo is to anti-vax.

[Agnosticsherbet]

27. Let the misquitos do our dirty work. Let them go.

I don't have a problem with GMO food, either.

Happy to eat it.

[KansDem]

28. GMO mosquitoes? The new name will be "monsquitoes"

[rug]

33. Sometimes I think the story of Florida is a lost text from Exodus.

[X_Digger]

34. Sounds good to me.

[Coventina]

36. I for one welcome our new insect overlords.....

HAIL MOSQUITOES!