Submitted by lughnasadh t3_yortnc in Futurology
Reply to comment by bossonhigs in English company Oxitec has released a simple, easy to distribute commercial product they say cuts Dengue Fever spreading mosquito populations by 96%. By just adding water, genetically modified mosquito eggs mature into males whose sperm cannot result in viable female larvae. by lughnasadh
But with the scourge of how many mosquito-borne illnesses affect humanity, the benefits might outweigh the costs for us.
Until the food chain collapses. The world is NOT "for humans".
The food chain is not going to collapse because one invasive species of mosquito (i.e. species that doesn't even belong there in the first place) is going to be eradicated from a couple of cities (not even the whole country). Not a single species is dependent on eating mosquitoes alone.
I suppose you have never heard of unintended consequences or seen the entire history of human attempts to "manage" the environment. It's moot anyway, since the anthropocene mass extinction began years ago and we are estimated to be losing 40+ species every day.
Most of these disease carrying mosquitoes are not native to the places they are now found. They arrived on ships during the age of sail. They're invasive species. Moreover in places where they are from they occupy a crowded niche of non-disease(for humans at least) carrying mosquitoes. It's a pretty well studied topic and no one is engaged in this without having considered environmental impact.
We are responsible for many extinctions of Native and important species every year, eradicating one non-native bug species isn’t going to harm anything. I’d be for it if it only meant less bites.
I know this will sound harsh, but mosquitoes born illness is the very mechanism nature uses to restore balance when one particular species multiply in such great numbers and become a treat to natural balance itself.
That’s a theory/opinion. The statement assumes an intent by nature as if it was somehow cognizant of its actions.
It doesn't have to be. Evolution is underlying law it abides. One with cognition might observe and draw conclusions. Have you ever watched Planet Earth, that episode with ants in the forest?
Cordiceps fungy infects ant wandered too far, when it returns to colony it becomes zombie but again it goes away and climbs on a branh and spread spores.
Practically, it keeps ant colonies from spreading too much, keeping a buffer zone between ant colonies.
There is some grand design there.
It's not like fungus kills whole colony. It keeps them in check.
You're just describing the ecology of parasitism/pathogens. If the fungus killed the whole colony, it would have no hosts and go extinct. A fungus that did that would therefore be selected against, as it would not be able to pass on its genes following the extermination of its hosts. The evolutionary role of the fungus isn't to keep ant colonies in check, it's to pass on its genes. As killing entire colonies quickly would be detrimental to passing on its genes, it's not something that would occur sustainably.
How fortunate that it mainly affects brown and black people, then. What a disgusting and deplorable way to view humanity, please educate yourself.
That’s a very Malthusian sentiment, it’s not just for us in areas without malaria to tell those with malaria that they can’t cure their infectious diseases. The planet is filled with our human brothers and sisters and we need to make sure they have as good lives as we do.
That's very philanthropic. I can't say I don't have mixed feeling about humanity so I admit that sometimes everyone is brother and sister to me, but other times, they are just ....
But... isn't for example malaria curable by prescription drugs? What's wrong with sending medications? No profit?
I don't really see it as philanthropic but just part of society building. We establish medical care and labor laws and etc to prevent easily preventable deaths, and so the same sort works when it comes to treating tropical diseases. In this instance, its those outside a certain nation (most of the developed world has already eradicated malaria) which I feel is probably a net positive for all of us. It most likely is going to enhance things like productivity and output in nations that still deal with these diseases, and I could imagine plenty of scenarios where it makes sense to help fight diseases, looking at things beyond an ethical sense.
Malaria at the moment can be treated with prescription drugs, but the emphasis right now is on eradication is on ending transmission. I think it would be more costly to send medicines than things like bed nets and DDT, and I don't think it would be as effective. The goal is to wipe out the habitats that house malaria.
As I write this, I've been repeatedly bit by lonely mosquito.
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