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We’re trying to stop bad mosquitoes by raising and releasing good ones

debugproject.com

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Re: We’re trying to stop bad mosquitoes by raising and releasing good ones

#61

Post by djb_hackernews »

willis77 wrote: post #55
djb_hackernews wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It'd be sort of like removing all of the kelp from the worlds oceans. It'd have ripple effects on other species that we wouldn't want to negatively affect.

People have studied this. While you have to take these theoretical "what if" studies with a grain of salt, some believe that eradicating mosquitos would not affect ecology in a major way: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a.html

I'm now at negative points for bringing up a point that is validated by quoted experts in your cited source. (Which btw, uses a lot of "cover my ass" wording when talking about wiping out a species found all over the globe)

I've gotten malaria on a trip to west Africa, I've had to get yellow fever vaccines, i grew up in areas with west nile, etc I understand the impact it has on humans. However, there is more to the mosquito than the little insect flying around biting us. Their eggs and larvae play a huge role in the ecosystems they inhabit.

Re: We’re trying to stop bad mosquitoes by raising and releasing good ones

#62

Post by coldpie »

djb_hackernews wrote: post #61
willis77 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People have studied this. While you have to take these theoretical "what if" studies with a grain of salt, some believe that eradicating mosquitos would not affect ecology in a major way: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a.html

I'm now at negative points for bringing up a point that is validated by quoted experts in your cited source. (Which btw, uses a lot of "cover my ass" wording when talking about wiping out a species found all over the globe) I've gotten malaria on a trip to west Africa, I've had to get yellow fever vaccines, i grew up in areas with west nile, etc I understand the impact it has on humans. However, there is more to the…

> I'm now at negative points for bringing up a point that is validated by quoted experts in your cited source.

I think it's hard to justify drawing an equivalence between exterminating mosquitoes, which scientists have studied and broadly believe to be safe, and removing most of the plant matter from the oceans. I would not have downvoted you, but it's not hard to understand how you ended up there.

Re: We’re trying to stop bad mosquitoes by raising and releasing good ones

#63

Post by badminton1 »

sohkamyung wrote: post #21
badminton1 wrote: post #18

The problem I see is that, while this can be used for good, it can also be weaponized. Zika for example, has existed for thousands of years if not millions of years. How come just in 2015 there's this massive unprecedented outbreak? Just when Oxitec starts releasing their "good mosquitoes"? What specifically changed and caused this outbreak?

Whatever caused the Zika outbreak in Brazil has nothing to do with Oxitec. As this post shows, Oxitec released their mosquitoes years before the Zika epidemic in Brazil and the release was done hundreds of miles away [1] - [1] "No, GM Mosquitoes Didn’t Start The Zika Outbreak." [ http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/science-sushi/2016/01/31/g... ]

Thanks, very informative.

Re: We’re trying to stop bad mosquitoes by raising and releasing good ones

#64

Post by zaroth »

djb_hackernews wrote: post #51
coldpie wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe that is the goal. I'm all on board. I've heard about proposals like this for years and years. I'm thrilled someone is actually working to make this theory reality.

It'd be sort of like removing all of the kelp from the worlds oceans. It'd have ripple effects on other species that we wouldn't want to negatively affect.

I thought the same thing. Then I read that there are several thousand different species of mosquito, and only about 6 of them bite humans. We are not eradicating the mosquito, rather a very specific sub population; Aedes aegypti.

They are in fact the deadliest animal on the planet and unequivocally deserve complete eradication.

Re: We’re trying to stop bad mosquitoes by raising and releasing good ones

#66

Post by r00fus »

robbrown451 wrote: post #15
matt4077 wrote: post #11

I still want to build: - An array of three microphones for locating mosquitos by sound - a servo-mounted laser - Software to combine the two, possibly with a manual mode.

Well it does sort of exist: https://www.fastcoexist.com/3059127/what-happened-to-the-mos...

Intellectual Ventures? The patent troll? I have a feeling this project will not, in fact, have any impact on the mosquito population.

Re: We’re trying to stop bad mosquitoes by raising and releasing good ones

#67

Post by sohkamyung »

yabatopia wrote: post #50
sohkamyung wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it may be possible for the mosquito to fight back. The bacteria isn't mentioned in the video, but I believe it could be Wolbachia, which is already pervalent in the insect world. According to this FAQ [1], it already infects 60% of the insect world, so it appears that developing an immunity to it might be pretty hard: 8. Do other animals carry Wolbachia? Wolbachia is common among arthropods (including insects, s…

What are the effects of Wolbachia on other insects? Is there a risk that other insects get eliminated by eating mosquitos carrying Wolbachia? It may be safe for humans and larger mammals, but how about smaller animals ansd insects?

The Wolbachia bacteria is a parasite, but it spreads by infecting the reproductive organs of insects. I don't believe it can be spread by eating an insect infected with Wolbachia, unlike other kinds of parasites.
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