The agency, which already routinely performs aerial sprayings of the area with anti-mosquito chemicals, believes it will save money in the long run by releasing the GM mosquitos. Rather than spend $400,000 or more a year to conduct the aerial sprayings, FKMCD says it would instead only have to spend $200,000 to $300,000 a year on the GM mosquitos.
Created by U.K.-based insect eradication company Oxitec, the GM mosquitos have been created with an added gene that, unless they are given the antibiotic tetracycline, will automatically kill them. When they mate with wild mosquitos, these GM mosquitos also pass on this gene to the offspring, which is intended to gradually decrease the population of wild mosquitos over time.
If approved, the release of GM mosquitos in Key West will represent the first ever release of a GM creature in the U.S., and on a trial basis where scientists really have no idea what will happen. Like all other GMOs, it is unknown whether or not the GM mosquitos will have a detrimental effect on the environment or humans, or how killing of large amounts of mosquitos will disrupt the life cycles of natural ecosystems.
Similar trials involving the release of GM mosquitos have already occurred in both the Cayman Islands and in Malaysia, according to reports. In the Cayman Islands, Oxitec secretly released the mosquitos without approval, and did not notify the public that it was conducting a massive ecological experiment that could have potentially life-altering consequences until a year after the GM mosquitos were released (http://www.naturalnews.com/030449_mosquitos_Cayman_Islands.html).
Though the vast majority of the GM mosquitos being released are male, which do not bite humans, a small percentage of them are female. So looking at the situation just from a human health perspective, what are the risks involved with a human getting bitten by a GM mosquito? Nobody really knows, as Oxitec has not conducted any long-term research on the safety of GM mosquitos interacting with other creatures or with humans.
Mosquitos, as annoying as they can be, also play a critical role in the food chain, and particularly the animal food chain. They also serve as plant and crop pollinators, without which we may not be able to grow food.
Originally Posted On: http://www.naturalnews.com/034943_genetically_modified_mosquitoes_Florida_disease.html#ixzz2WTd8TsMK
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Genetically modified mosquitoes
Susan Aldridge
Malaysia is considering the release of genetically engineered mosquitoes as a solution to dengue fever. The Malaysian Academy of Sciences is likely to advise the government to press on with field trials of genetically modified male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes created by Oxitec of Oxford.
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Hundreds of thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes set to be released into the Florida Keys in experiment to fight dengue fever
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2244272/Florida-officials-consider-releasing-genetically-modified-non-biting-mosquitoes-battle-dengue-fever.html#ixzz2WTeBaFRi
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2244272/Florida-officials-consider-releasing-genetically-modified-non-biting-mosquitoes-battle-dengue-fever.html#ixzz2WTeBaFRi
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Scholar Results
what will it do to us when we get bit?
ReplyDeleteI am sure that it remains to be seen... :(
ReplyDeleteWhat happens when these things finally mutate to the size of a bird??
ReplyDeletethey would die out because there is not enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support that size of insects. It is known that the giant dragonflies of the Carboniferous period went extinct because the oxygen levels in the atmosphere dropped.
DeleteThat's the idea in the last paragraph. To kill off the plants pollinators so we can't grow food. So the GM foods can take over even more. They have been killing off the bee colonies too.
ReplyDeleteThat looks so frightening
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very bad idea ! I would think that too many want to play God in USA, and it is enough to see what happened to Monsanto's great plan... Destroying the earth, that's what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a control factor on a genetic level, the fact that they say that they are missing a gene that will eventually die off on it's own is something straight out of jurassic park. Yea it's a movie, but the evolution of gene cells is not something to be messed with. The fact that they have no idea what it might do to humans or plant life, or even other animals is ridiculous. This is the prime example of humans showing off their higher goal to kill ourselves off. One, if they do release them into the areas these things will eventually flourish and kill everything in their paths. They have no way of controlling these things. They say they will die on their own, but they don't really know that. They don't really know much of anything do they. They just want to release them so their scientists can be like giddy little kids seeing what they do and writing it down in a book. Anything of this nature should not be allowed. The fact that they are even gene splicing shit like this is outrageous.
ReplyDeleteAgree this is a bad idea. The male mosquitoes feed off the nectar of plants and are great pollinators. Florida hs been losing lots of bees to pesticides already this is part of Monsanto great plan for global food dominance.
ReplyDeleteIt's not nice to fool Mother Nature!
ReplyDeleteThis gives me a bad feeling. how do they know these GM insects won't end up carrying a new virus? What if they already do?
ReplyDeleteMakes me sad to realize what a mess my children will inherit. How do people with no conscience, no faith, no morals end up in these positions to decide what is best for the rest of us and our planet? I didn't sign up for this!
ReplyDeleteIf you have no idea what they will do to people animals and the ecosystem..why the hell would you do this? Yall are a special kind of stupid.huh?
ReplyDeleteTo take a piece from the chain is to take life from the rest. Never ever kill a part of the natural eco system otherwise it shall all fail.
ReplyDeleteThe picture at the bottom next to the pencil erasure is NOT a one of the GM mosquitoes. The one at top next to the dime IS.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where you got that bottom picture but at least caption it as to what it REALLY is.
Some of us are skeptical about all sources of information even if they are in alignment with our political views.
Political views are problematic, no matter what they may be, but I agree with your statement about skeptical media consumers.
DeleteI've essentially resigned myself to a world of selective ignorance simply because I have no compelling way of evaluating and trusting the 'information' we're fed through any news outlets. It's saddening, and I'm not a Chicken Little conspiracy theorist, but there seem to be far too many portents that human-imposed destruction of life is a certainty, even if it's a few generations hence.
A simple story such as this makes me think of how I'm single and have never had children. I believe that may be a consequence of God whispering in my ear. While it may outwardly appear that I have missed enjoying some ubiquitous parts of the 'human experience', I wonder if I've been mercifully spared the misery and misfortune which attend foolish choices, thereby also not perpetuating grief for pridefully-begotten progeny.
All of this navel-gazing over a few fucking swarms of mutant mosquitoes. Damned media.
I figured it out. It's a Crane Fly that preys on mosquitoes.
ReplyDeleteThey probably should explain what crane flies have to do with the rest of the article...
West Nile fever is spread by mosquitoes and that kind of mosquito was not seen in North America until a few years ago. those bloodsuckers have killed many people already.
ReplyDelete