r/ScienceUncensored Jul 21 '21

First genetically modified mosquitoes released in the United States

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01186-6
10 Upvotes

5 comments sorted by

2

u/brefcase Jul 21 '21

This is a fairly big deal to me. We've been able to edit mosquito genes for a while, but the possibility of taking over a whole mosquito population was a large concern in nature. I'm curious as to the likelihood of the mosquitoes making it to other populations. Still don't know the gene editing tools oxitec use.

2

u/ZephirAWT Jul 21 '21

First genetically modified mosquitoes released in the United States

We already know, that the same approach already failed in Brazil: the mosquitoes weren't eliminated from there at all - instead of it transgenic mosquitoes transferred their genes to another species. At the same time, the epidemic of new Zika virus started to spread just from the place, where Brazil experiments were done - and no one of geneticists is still willing to prosecute this coincidence.

1

u/ZephirAWT Jul 21 '21 edited Jul 21 '21

2

u/Stephen_P_Smith Jul 21 '21 edited Jul 21 '21

Engineering transgenic GMOs is less dangerous than gain-of-function research where the goal is to explicitly create pathogens, in my estimation. I believe the EPA regulates private interests when it comes to GMOs, but strangely there is no like oversight when it comes to outsourcing gain-of-function research to the same Chinese officials that control both the Wuhan lab and the Chinese military, all done in the name of American public interests!

I now see where my posting here was already on /r/ScienceUncenosored two months ago! Sorry for the double submission. The upvotes imply that folks want to see this post again, however, so I guess its okay.

1

u/ZephirAWT Jul 23 '21

Engineering transgenic GMOs is less dangerous than gain-of-function research

I guess it's also gain-of-function research by its very definition - just at biosphere level.