35 replies to this topic

[Loops117]

Here’s a good read.

http://www.bbc.com/n...gazine-35408835

 

I read online that Bill Gates himself raised $75 Million to aid in the eradication of mosquitos, specifically the blood sucking sub species we all hate. I myself am on the fence. How bad would this be for our biodiversity? On the other hand, how at-risk are we all to diseases and viruses such as Zika? If you eradicated these mosquitos, would the zika virus and malaria go bye bye with it?

 

Thoughts?

[Batspiderfish]

The methods we typically go about doing it, using pesticides instead of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes, are incredibly destructive and harm much more than the mosquitoes; it poisons insects that are not mosquitoes, it poisons animals that eat mosquitoes, and it removes mosquitoes from the food chain. When you look back at the mosquito eradication efforts from earlier in the century, we are nothing but ashamed about it. I'm not on the fence about it -- I know it is a bad thing, and symptomatic of our lack of self-awareness in the ecosystem. It is not going to end the world, but it could be just another small part of what does.

[CallMeCraven]

I feel its is one of those scenarios where right now, we have the scientific understanding that eradication could have minimal consequences to ecosystems. The Key word is could. In 100 years we could greatly regret a decision for eradication. Of the roughly 1500 known species of mosquitoes, only a few hundred affect humans. The rest play important roles in ecosystems such as pollination. I think a better method would be to research and target specific species of mosquitoes that are known to carry disease with a late acting sterile insect technique, like this paper discusses: https://bmcbiol.biom.../1741-7007-5-11.

[Loops117]

The methods we typically go about doing it, using pesticides instead of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes, are incredibly destructive and harm much more than the mosquitoes; it poisons insects that are not mosquitoes, it poisons animals that eat mosquitoes, and it removes mosquitoes from the food chain. When you look back at the mosquito eradication efforts from earlier in the century, we are nothing but ashamed about it. I'm not on the fence about it -- I know it is a bad thing, and symptomatic of our lack of self-awareness in the ecosystem. It is not going to end the world, but it could be just another small part of what does.

 

I would like to assume they're going to use the same method as we used to eradicate the screw worm in florida back in '86, and hopefully again today with the new outbreak of screw worms in the keys.

 

They sterilized thousands of males and released them back into the wild. Female fly mates with sterile male and produces infertile eggs. They continued to do this until the fly was completely gone. Since the mosquitoes we want gone is such a small percentage of the actual mosquito genus, i don't feel like it would hurt our actualy bio-diversity. Atop that, we can use the sterilization method to target specifically this species.

[T.C.]

I think, humans are crossing the lines with mosquito eradication. I had already knew about this and was disscussing it with my buddy! Their messing with the food chain, which could end up causing other species to go extinct. Once their gone, their gone!

[Subverted]

Bill Gates is not really in the business of sound approaches to fixing any of the problems in the world. The Gates foundation does whatever gets them the best publicity and damn what the world actually needs.

How they pushed common core curriculum is a perfect example of them paving the road to hell with good intentions. How they approach "fixing" poverty is another.

[Batspiderfish]

The problem isn't so much about eliminating a specific mosquito, but accidentally harming many, many other species in the process:

 

[Salmon]

Genetically engineered mosquitoes are certainly the best idea, but the phrase "government plans to release millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes!" is scary enough that the idiotic anti- GMO crowd will bring it to a halt. They'd rather we just spray poison everywhere, so long as nobody's creating GMO frankensquitoes...

[Kevin]

Mosquitoes seem like too small of an insect to do much harm at all. Although, this will put some mosquito repellant businesses closed, but I'm sure some will find an alternative, such as chigger repellent. Honestly, chiggers should be eradicated  .

[Vendayn]

Its like if they needed to cut down a single tree, but instead took a bunch of TNT to take it down instead.

[Loops117]

You guys are all assuming they're gonna use pesticides. We have much better tech now then we did years ago.

Sterilizing males of a specific species will only impact that specific species, and it can't transfer to other species of mosquitoes since they're sterilized and cross breeding?

[Batspiderfish]

You guys are all assuming they're gonna use pesticides. We have much better tech now then we did years ago.

Sterilizing males of a specific species will only impact that specific species, and it can't transfer to other species of mosquitoes since they're sterilized and cross breeding?

 

They literally are using pesticides, because it is cheap.

Edited by Batspiderfish, October 13 2016 - 7:42 AM.

[Loops117]

 

You guys are all assuming they're gonna use pesticides. We have much better tech now then we did years ago.

Sterilizing males of a specific species will only impact that specific species, and it can't transfer to other species of mosquitoes since they're sterilized and cross breeding?

 

They literally are using pesticides, because it is cheap.

 

Have they already started to eradicate? I really hope they're not.

[Canadian anter]

I am fine with eradicating a few species of mosquito but many species do not drink as much blook and I think they are fine

[dermy]

As far as the "erradicating Malaria" goes I doubt it, it's a disease, they are really smart at adapting, they'll just choose another host species to use as carriers or find other ways to mutate and cause infections.

[Batspiderfish]

We were talking about zika, a viral disease which doesn't kill nearly as many people. Malaria is a protist infection that can only be transmitted by one genus of mosquitoes.

 

Is anybody realizing that we aren't just going to be killing mosquitoes? Because a targeted eradication would be too expensive?

Edited by Batspiderfish, October 14 2016 - 5:43 AM.

[Loops117]

We were talking about zika, a viral disease which doesn't kill nearly as many people. Malaria is a protist infection that can only be transmitted by one genus of mosquitoes.

 

Is anybody realizing that we aren't just going to be killing mosquitoes? Because a targeted eradication would be too expensive?

 

Well, idk how expensive. And idk how much this dents the cost but i read bill gates donated or raised $75 million towards it.

[spider_creations]

You guys are all assuming they're gonna use pesticides. We have much better tech now then we did years ago.
Sterilizing males of a specific species will only impact that specific species, and it can't transfer to other species of mosquitoes since they're sterilized and cross breeding?

I agree with loops it wrong to think that they would use pesticides, and it's safe to say sure there are many of the people who are working on it are taking in consideration of what ecological effect what ever they do use will cause

Edited by spider_creations, October 15 2016 - 9:59 PM.

[gcsnelling]

You guys are all assuming they're gonna use pesticides. We have much better tech now then we did years ago.

Sterilizing males of a specific species will only impact that specific species, and it can't transfer to other species of mosquitoes since they're sterilized and cross breeding?

Of course they are going to use pesticides, anyone that thinks they won't is naive.

[Loops117]

 

You guys are all assuming they're gonna use pesticides. We have much better tech now then we did years ago.

Sterilizing males of a specific species will only impact that specific species, and it can't transfer to other species of mosquitoes since they're sterilized and cross breeding?

Of course they are going to use pesticides, anyone that thinks they won't is naive.

 

 

How are we being naive? We've used other processes in the past with success.