121–130 of 147 posts
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I don't think mobile FF has an ad blocker - at least not on iOS
That's because Apple only allows rebranded versions of Safari on iOS. Firefox for Android supports ad blockers.
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The actual process of GMO is completely safe. Just like the process of nuclear fission. You have to treat it with care though, otherwise very bad things may occur.
I'm sorry, but every time someone argues this point, I feel they are completely side-stepping the actual issue. Anything can be safe depending on how you use it, almost by definition, because "rare/no usage" is included in that. The real argument to be had is not whether or not something can potentially fail whatsoever. The argument is, "What are the consequences at the expected rate of failure?" Viewed from that per…
This page has some malicious ads on it that keep redirecting me to phishing sites (only on mobile Firefox apparently)
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The problem with those arguments is that no potential harm through such genetic modifications has been demonstrated yet. Even those mosquitoes surviving has done no harm. A downside to Hormones is that you need to find the breeding grounds. Potentially every puddle or container of water. However, the modified male mosquitoes are like homing missiles.
The problem with waiting until harm is demonstrated is that we don't know what form it might take. Given the current free-for-all of genetic experimentation, it's only a matter of time until something we do has a significant unintended effect on an ecosystem. Unlike DDT, we won't necessarily be able to just stop the intervention and wait for things to go back to the way they were.
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The problem with those arguments is that no potential harm through such genetic modifications has been demonstrated yet. Even those mosquitoes surviving has done no harm. A downside to Hormones is that you need to find the breeding grounds. Potentially every puddle or container of water. However, the modified male mosquitoes are like homing missiles.
Ah yes, because over the course of humanity the "no harm demonstrated yet" has panned out beautifully. We're compounding interest on our "Well it seems fine for now?" damages.
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Did no one watch Jurassic Park? You can't put genetic alterations in the environment and expect them not to propagate. The idea that this is possible has been proven multiple times to be utterly and completely false. No matter what the level of care or control. You put it out there, and there is any possibility for it to proliferate... it will proliferate. Period. People don't learn they still think they are in contr…
The only lessons to be learned from Jurassic Park are a) Michael Crichton is a better writer than people think b) Wow, this CGI thing is going to be huge! It's fiction. It did well because it tapped into the zeitgeist and gave form to people's fears. It is not evidence that those fears are justified.
... until now
Crichton did not created his novel from zero. Was after talking with a lot of scientists, taking several scientific theories and facts, and using it (more or less embellished for literary and fiction purposes) to build the book.
Only because it appears on Jurassic park does not mean that the subjacent idea is incorrect (neither the opposite of course). Gene drive or MGEs (comprising 50% of human genome, so there are probably plenty of it on mosquitoes also) aren't Crichton's ideas.
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Truisms don't make for productive discussions. Picture yourself receiving a cancer diagnosis followed by your statement above.
Fear-mongering doesn’t make for productive discussions either. These mosquitoes are not super mosquitoes so they don’t lend any credence to the anti-GMO tropes. Picture yourself receiving a cancer diagnosis and then hearing that tobacco is organic non-GMO.
Oh come on this is such a ridiculous point. No these mosquitoes are not super-mosquitoes - I never implied so. However, these mosquitoes are a GMO experiment gone wrong - fortunately this "wrong" doesn't mean "world-destroying" (so far), but just "unintended", but that's kind-of my point - who's to say that the next time a GMO experiment goes "wrong" it won't be a bit more wrong...
I keep hearing that mosquitoes are not ecologically important, and their extinction would have little to no ecological effect. However one indirect ecological consequence if something like this worked would be the migration of mammals to regions previously largely uninhabitable due to mosquitoes. Would such a migration and/or population increase have some ecological effect? I don't think anyone has explored this pote…
Enough people said this was a bad idea to expect this outcome.
At some point there was so many money spent that thinking "this was a bad idea, lets close the project and go home", is not an option over the table anymore, not unless the project is done by a government or so.
Despite this failure, I still think the species should be targeted for extinction. What are our options?
Eliminate their food sources. Unfortunately that would mean the extinction of any and every soft skinned blood carrying on the planet.