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Bill Gates Foundation will release hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in one month

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The British biotechnology company Oxitec continues with its plans to release hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes to test a new experimental way to control the reproduction of ‘Aedes aegypti’, a species that spreads dengue, Zika, yellow fever and other life-threatening infections.

The first batch of mosquitoes was released last week in the Florida Keys, located on the southern coast of the state, “after a decade of planning and regulatory approvals,” according to confirmed the company, endorsed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in a statement. He explained that, in the coming months, six places “will host Oxitec male release boxes of ‘Aedes aegypti’ that will slowly release their self-limiting male mosquitoes.”

The project, supported by local authorities, consists of releasing millions of male mosquitoes with a modified gene, called OX5034, that would restrict the survival of the females they mate with. Thus, females would die before growing enough to sting and spread disease, as only they feed on blood, while males feed on nectars. When the new males grow up, they mate with more females, which would further reduce the amount of ‘Aedes aegypti’.

Oxitec stressed that, although this species only represents 4% of the mosquito population in the Florida Keys, it is responsible for almost all disease transmission in the archipelago.

In addition, the company explained that its technology against ‘Aedes aegypti’ was successfully tested in 2019 in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, where after only 13 weeks of treatment, they managed to suppress up to 95% of the population of this species.

 
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Some years back I followed whale Bill Miller into buying some shares of this spec play called Intrexon. Miller made a statement something on the order that it would be the Apple of synthetic biology.  Intrexon was led by a charismatic billionaire figure named Randall Kirk who had prior success leading biotech firms. The skeptics turned out to be right about Intrexon’s structure (purchasing a number of different companies operating in different zones of synthetic biology), and it’s ability to generate organic revenue from sales.  Eventually its stock plummeted with some ups and downs along the way. Intrexon eventually changed names, adopting the name of one of it’s subsidiaries (Precigen), and narrowed it’s focus to immunology, iirc.

One of the companies Intrexon purchased was a UK firm called Oxitec. It was in the news back during the Zika epidemic. It designed a male mosquito from that troublesome species that restricts the female pop. (Aedes aegypti) and tests were almost done in Florida in 2016 (?).  Oxitec was later liquidated to a Kirk-controlled LLC.  I’m struggling to recall its competitor, owned by a large corp. with a different platform, but Oxitec’s solution to the infectious diseases spread by the Aedes aegypti is still pretty intriguing
https://www.oxitec.com/en/news/oxitecs-friendly-mosquito-technology-receives-us-epa-approval-for-pilot-projects-in-us

“During these field tests, Oxitec will release into the environment male mosquitoes genetically modified to carry a protein that will inhibit the survival of their female offspring when they mate with wild female mosquitoes. The male offspring will survive to become fully functional adults with the same genetic modification, providing multi-generational effectiveness that could ultimately lead to a reduction in Aedes aegypti mosquito populations in the release areas. EPA anticipates that this could be an effective tool to combat the spread of certain mosquito-borne diseases like the Zika virus in light of growing resistance to current insecticides.”

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I got to tell ya, in my ten years of living in Key West, I was never bitten by one mosquito.  Mosquito Control does an incredible job fogging the neighborhoods. 
 

Now, 17 miles up the Keys in Sugarloaf was a totally different story, those +++++ers were everywhere.  That’s the home of the failed giant bat cave, I believe it was destroyed in Hurricane Irma.  

 

 

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6 hours ago, tailingpermit said:

I got to tell ya, in my ten years of living in Key West, I was never bitten by one mosquito.  Mosquito Control does an incredible job fogging the neighborhoods. 
 

Now, 17 miles up the Keys in Sugarloaf was a totally different story, those +++++ers were everywhere.  That’s the home of the failed giant bat cave, I believe it was destroyed in Hurricane Irma.  

I will take this genetic solution over more pesticide and chemical exposure anyday.  

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37 minutes ago, Billings said:

I will take this genetic solution over more pesticide and chemical exposure anyday.  

Yeah, you say that now...

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Just wait until millennials find out these fall into the GMO  category.  They will be outraged!  Zennials don't care, they will smoke tide pods and get bummed that cannibalizing the wealthy is frowned upon.

 

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In the 80s if you told someone that powerful reclusive computer billionaire was releasing hundreds of millions of genetically altered insects,  not in a million years would they expect the reason to be "to control malaria for the benefit of all mankind"

Remember that every argument you have with someone on MWCboard is actually the continuation of a different argument they had with someone else also on MWCboard. 

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When I first moved to northwest florida I asked a guy I worked with " where's the fire flies/lightning bugs?". So happens that he worked for the mosquito abatement program ( no not @convert) in the 90's.  The pesticides used to kill mosquitoe larvae also killed the fire fly larvae. I'll go on record as being a proponent of genetic alteration.

 

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59 minutes ago, halfmanhalfbronco said:

Just wait until millennials find out these fall into the GMO  category.  They will be outraged!  Zennials don't care, they will smoke tide pods and get bummed that cannibalizing the wealthy is frowned upon.

 

The same earlier parent company, Intrexon, also owned Aqua Bounty which produced  a fast growing GMO salmon, and now a non-GMO salmon that really is a great idea (self-contained land-based system. Produce black soldier fly larva, feed the salmon, no effect on the oceans --- Millennials, shm. 

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17 minutes ago, DestinFlPackfan said:

When I first moved to northwest florida I asked a guy I worked with " where's the fire flies/lightning bugs?". So happens that he worked for the mosquito abatement program ( no not @convert) in the 90's.  The pesticides used to kill mosquitoe larvae also killed the fire fly larvae. I'll go on record as being a proponent of genetic alteration.

 

Hawaii is low tech.  We are reintroducing damselflies to control mosquitoes and flies.  They had been almost wiped out.   gee help nature control them with natural predators.  Who would have thunk it.

 

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/05/08/with-damselflies-brink-extinction-crews-release-insect-oahus-north-shore/

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17 minutes ago, grandjean87 said:

The same earlier parent company, Intrexon, also owned Aqua Bounty which produced  a fast growing GMO salmon, and now a non-GMO salmon that really is a great idea (self-contained land-based system. Produce black soldier fly larva, feed the salmon, no effect on the oceans --- Millennials, shm. 

 

That's super cool.

 

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27 minutes ago, Billings said:

Hawaii is low tech.  We are reintroducing damselflies to control mosquitoes and flies.  They had been almost wiped out.   gee help nature control them with natural predators.  Who would have thunk it.

 

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/05/08/with-damselflies-brink-extinction-crews-release-insect-oahus-north-shore/

That's very cool!

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