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Discussion » Questions » Animals (Wild) » A subsidiary of Google is releasing infected mosquitoes in Cali to kill off the mosquito population- brilliant or dangerous?

A subsidiary of Google is releasing infected mosquitoes in Cali to kill off the mosquito population- brilliant or dangerous?

Recently, a company owned by Google’s parent corporation Alphabet, Verily announced plans to release 20 million mosquitoes on Fresno, California, to allegedly kill mosquitoes that carry disease...

“It plans to release 1 million infected mosquitoes every week for 20 weeks over the summer in an attempt to decrease the wild mosquito population in two 300 acre neighborhoods in the Fresno area.”

The mosquitoes are infected with “Wolbachia pipientis,” a bacteria that renders male mosquitoes sterile, so when the (allegedly) all male mosquitoes are released and breed with Fresno’s female population, the eggs will not carry life and the mosquitoes will die out. They of course claim the bacteria is not harmful to humans.


https://undergroundjournalist.com/2017/07/22/google-release-20-million-bacteria-infected-mosquitoes-california/ 

Posted - July 23, 2017

Responses


  • 6988
    Well I guess that is basically how you do it with viruses. 
      July 23, 2017 2:19 PM MDT
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  • 7939
    Yes, but to you worry about the potential implications, such as what it might do to the local ecology or perhaps the potential for it to morph and impact human health/ fertility? 
      July 23, 2017 2:21 PM MDT
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  • 6988
    Yep.
      July 23, 2017 2:40 PM MDT
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  • 6477
    I worry about it... simply based on the track record of how many things went wrong...  But that said I will reserve judgement. Talking of Cali... that will be the name of the new puppy we will get in October, assuming it's born ok and assuming there's a girl for us. 
      July 23, 2017 2:28 PM MDT
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  • 5808
    and assuming it's not a mosquito
      July 23, 2017 5:05 PM MDT
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  • 34253
    Thereare almost always unforeseen  consequences to this type of  human intervention.  
    The bacteria could  infect other animals that the mosquitoes bite. Or could be transmitted to other insects...etc This post was edited by my2cents at July 23, 2017 5:04 PM MDT
      July 23, 2017 4:17 PM MDT
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  • 46117
    INFECTED WITH WHAT????????!!!!!!

    MOSQUITO BABY REPELLENT?

    nooooooooooo  I DO NOT WANT THAT IN ME.
    This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at July 23, 2017 4:25 PM MDT
      July 23, 2017 4:23 PM MDT
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  • 5808
    sounds dangerous
    What happens to humans when
    these mosquitos bite humans?
    Women will have dead mosquito babies??
    Yikes...spare me of this
    and the guys will produce dead mosquito
    sperm?? Yikes again...
      July 23, 2017 5:03 PM MDT
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  • 44604
    Why don't they just give everyone in Fresno a swatter and a bottle of DEET?
      July 23, 2017 5:09 PM MDT
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  • 22891
    sounds dangerous
      July 24, 2017 6:06 PM MDT
    0