Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever • Hacker News Board

Re: Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever

#21

Post by rdl » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 1:10 AM UTC

arjunnarayan wrote: post #17

rdl wrote: post #16

I wish the GMO developers had initially focused on products which were end-user or publicly beneficial like this, vs. just raising yields or reducing pesticide use (which are end user and societally beneficial, but can be cast by opponents as economic arguments). Without the existing anti-GMO movement, GMO would have a much easier time getting adoption in cases where it's essentially unambiguously a win (like this on…

"Just raising yields" has helped save millions of poor folk in third world countries from starvation. I'm not sure that pacifying first world leftist hippies should be the top PR priority of science.

Green revolution did, but that wasn't GMO. (Borlaug was probably one of the top 10 people of the 20th Century)

GMO is much more recent, and generally works on crops which are large and mechanized, which don't really exist in third world countries. The main beneficiaries to date of GMO have been soybeans and corn in the US. The stat I've seen is 5-10% gains in the 90s from GMO. (http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/124/3/923.full)

There probably are ways to use GMO which would work in non-mechanized farming, though.

Re: Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever

#22

Post by jrkelly » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 1:13 AM UTC

rdl wrote: post #16

I wish the GMO developers had initially focused on products which were end-user or publicly beneficial like this, vs. just raising yields or reducing pesticide use (which are end user and societally beneficial, but can be cast by opponents as economic arguments). Without the existing anti-GMO movement, GMO would have a much easier time getting adoption in cases where it's essentially unambiguously a win (like this on…

The very first commercial application of GMOs was recombinant insulin for diabetics. Followed by a slew of other drugs - GMOs now make 50% of drugs (all the protein ones). The agriculture applications came 5-10 years later as plants were harder to engineer than microbes.

Re: Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever

#23

Post by PauloManrique » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 1:20 AM UTC

Lack of education and government actions on this route is the biggest cause of dengue here in Brazil.

People know they shouldn't keep water in old tyres, food plants, box of waters opened and stuff but they still do it.

Re: Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever

#24

Post by a_bonobo » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 1:21 AM UTC

jrkelly wrote: post #22

rdl wrote: post #16

I wish the GMO developers had initially focused on products which were end-user or publicly beneficial like this, vs. just raising yields or reducing pesticide use (which are end user and societally beneficial, but can be cast by opponents as economic arguments). Without the existing anti-GMO movement, GMO would have a much easier time getting adoption in cases where it's essentially unambiguously a win (like this on…

The very first commercial application of GMOs was recombinant insulin for diabetics. Followed by a slew of other drugs - GMOs now make 50% of drugs (all the protein ones). The agriculture applications came 5-10 years later as plants were harder to engineer than microbes.

Other examples: The enzymes in washing powders are generally produced by GM bacteria, too, together with the chymosin needed for cheese production.

There used to be a GM-tomato called FLAVR SAVR about 15 years ago, which had direct benefits to end customers = the tomatoes stayed fresh longer. Public opposition out of fear killed it (also a good lesson: don't give flashy, technical names to food).

http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.edu/landingpage.cfm?artic...

Re: Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever

#25

Post by bernawil » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 1:24 AM UTC

rdl wrote: post #21

arjunnarayan wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Just raising yields" has helped save millions of poor folk in third world countries from starvation. I'm not sure that pacifying first world leftist hippies should be the top PR priority of science.

Green revolution did, but that wasn't GMO. (Borlaug was probably one of the top 10 people of the 20th Century) GMO is much more recent, and generally works on crops which are large and mechanized, which don't really exist in third world countries. The main beneficiaries to date of GMO have been soybeans and corn in the US. The stat I've seen is 5-10% gains in the 90s from GMO. ( http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/12…

Third world countries are also mechanized. All of South America grows soybeans. It's Round Up all over. I'm from Argentina and can assure you that since early 00's soybean export taxes have paid at least one-third of the gov. budget.

Re: Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever

#26

Post by marcosdumay » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 1:31 AM UTC

icegreentea wrote: post #4

A common fear when deploying systems like this is that we are somehow tampering with nature, and that given our inability to predict outcomes, we should therefore err to the side of caution. I typically agree with this line of thought. However, in this particular context, something to strongly consider is that Aedes aegypti isn't native to South America. As implied by its name, it's native to Africa. We (humans) brou…

Aedes aegypti is a domestic animal here. And we have no lack of moskitoes to fill their niche at Brazil (the best news being that most of them didn't evolve along humans, and are harmless).

It's worth looking at any biological alternative to the widespread use of insecticides.

Re: Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever

#27

Post by wyager » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 1:32 AM UTC

rdl wrote: post #21

arjunnarayan wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Just raising yields" has helped save millions of poor folk in third world countries from starvation. I'm not sure that pacifying first world leftist hippies should be the top PR priority of science.

Green revolution did, but that wasn't GMO. (Borlaug was probably one of the top 10 people of the 20th Century) GMO is much more recent, and generally works on crops which are large and mechanized, which don't really exist in third world countries. The main beneficiaries to date of GMO have been soybeans and corn in the US. The stat I've seen is 5-10% gains in the 90s from GMO. ( http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/12…

>Green revolution did, but that wasn't GMO.

The green revolution did a lot of good, but GMO is potentially doing even more.

Have you looked at modern strains of GM rice? That stuff is absolutely amazing. Incredibly drought and flood resistance, and can thrive in a huge range of environmental conditions.

As GMO tech progresses, we'll probably just see better and better stuff. Imagine plants with antifreeze proteins to resist cold snaps.

Re: Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever

#28

Post by brianbreslin » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 1:36 AM UTC

A similar trial was done in the Florida Keys 2 years ago. The genetically modified mosquitos (same company I believe), were able to reduce the mosquito population immensely. Key West if they didn't carpet bomb it with insecticides from the sky would be miserable.

[1]http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/11/9/genetically-...

Re: Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever

#29

Post by brianbreslin » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 1:37 AM UTC

bernawil wrote: post #25

rdl wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Green revolution did, but that wasn't GMO. (Borlaug was probably one of the top 10 people of the 20th Century) GMO is much more recent, and generally works on crops which are large and mechanized, which don't really exist in third world countries. The main beneficiaries to date of GMO have been soybeans and corn in the US. The stat I've seen is 5-10% gains in the 90s from GMO. ( http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/12…

Third world countries are also mechanized. All of South America grows soybeans. It's Round Up all over. I'm from Argentina and can assure you that since early 00's soybean export taxes have paid at least one-third of the gov. budget.

Argentina is running into issues with land going fallow now from too much Soy, and not enough crop rotation last I heard. Or is that not correct?

Re: Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever

#30

Post by pistle » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 1:39 AM UTC

jostmey wrote: post #5

The approach may work a while. But then I am sure some mutant gene will eventually emerge in the wild-type populations that will inhibit the synthetic kill gene. That's how Nature works.

Nature will find a way... until humans kill it. If we can eradicate some species we can eradicate them all - except those little tardigrade things. It's one thing to slowly evolve enhancements to slow pressures/opportunities in the environment. It's another whole thing to be able to withstand a quickly-emerging, severe bottleneck in your particular environment.