And Now: “Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Join The Fight To Stop Zika Virus”
Cryptogon.com
January 28th, 2016
Here’s what happened in Brazil, where Oxitec has been conducting massive experiments with genetically modified mosquitoes.
Also, from 2012: Brazil Rolls Out GM Mosquito Farms:
Brazil has opened its first-ever, large-scale genetically modified mosquito farm in an effort to reduce the incidence of dengue fever.
The mosquitoes are a genetically modified (GM) version of the Aedes aegypti, the species responsible for transmitting the dengue virus to humans. The farm was inaugurated early last week and is expected to produce millions of GM insects each month.
Scientists at the British-based Oxitec developed a method of shortening the lifespan of the mosquitoes and reducing mosquito populations by, essentially, sterilizing them. The mosquitoes are engineered to need the antibiotic tetracycline to develop beyond adolescence. Male mosquitoes in the laboratory are given the antibiotic to reach adulthood and then released into the wild to breed with wild females. The larvae, unable to access tetracycline, die before they are fully-grown. After a few days, both the offspring and the released males are dead.
The Rest…HERE
