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GM fungus rapidly kills 99% of malaria mosquitoes, study suggests
BBC ^ | James Gallagher

Posted on 05/31/2019 8:06:13 AM PDT by BenLurkin

A fungus - genetically enhanced to produce spider toxin - can rapidly kill huge numbers of the mosquitoes that spread malaria, a study suggests.

Trials, which took place in Burkina Faso, showed mosquito populations collapsed by 99% within 45 days.

Conducting the study, researchers at the University of Maryland in the US - and the IRSS research institute in Burkina Faso - first identified a fungus called Metarhizium pingshaense, which naturally infects the Anopheles mosquitoes that spread malaria.

The next stage was to enhance the fungus.

They turned to a toxin found in the venom of a species of funnel-web spider in Australia.

The genetic instructions for making the toxin were added to the fungus's own genetic code so it would start making the toxin once it was inside a mosquito.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...


TOPICS: Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: africa; anopheles; australia; burkinafaso; fungus; funnelwebspider; genetically; indonesia; malaria; maryland; metarhizium; modified; mosquito; mosquitoes; pingshaense; uofmaryland
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To: BenLurkin

But what monster will enhancing the fungus create?


41 posted on 05/31/2019 9:41:04 AM PDT by bgill (when you badmouth women, you are badmouthing your mama and the good women on FR)
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To: BenLurkin

now if we can just find one that will only replicate in a tick’s system- lyme diseases is becoming a huge problem


42 posted on 05/31/2019 9:42:59 AM PDT by Bob434
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To: jospehm20

DDT did a trick on me
Now I am a real sickee
Guess I’ll have to spread the news
That I’ve got no mind to lose
Labotomy


43 posted on 05/31/2019 9:51:40 AM PDT by 9422WMR
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To: Buckeye McFrog

Runs best in dark, damp conditions.


44 posted on 05/31/2019 9:55:06 AM PDT by HeadOn (I joke about a lot, but when it comes to God's things - I get serious real quick.)
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To: wildcard_redneck

Well, maybe once she is declawed and housebroken.


45 posted on 05/31/2019 9:56:25 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: BenLurkin

Hi.

What will happen to all the insects, reptiles etc food supply if there are no mosquitoes?

5.56mm


46 posted on 05/31/2019 9:58:49 AM PDT by M Kehoe (DRAIN THE SWAMP! BUILD THE WALL!)
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To: SpaceBar

HAHAHA! Nice. SciFi much?


47 posted on 05/31/2019 10:02:05 AM PDT by HeadOn (I joke about a lot, but when it comes to God's things - I get serious real quick.)
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To: M Kehoe

I’m no expert but I think that was the heart of the “problem” seen by Rachel Carson and “Silent Spring”.

She wanted to say DDT was bad and that it hurt birds. I think the evidence has shown that DDT is quite harmless and did not do the damage she claimed. The “thinning of eggshells” in particular was a myth. Basically, DDT is effective against insects, as it was intended to be.

But this did disrupt food supplies for birds and may have resulted in changes in bird populations. They weren’t poisoned. They just went somewhere they could find more bugs to eat.


48 posted on 05/31/2019 10:03:35 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: blackdog
1% of surviving mosquitoes is a lot of mosquitoes with chutzpah and good genes for becoming supersquitoes.
“Super” at tolerating the venom. Not necessarily super at anything else.

I wonder what happened to the idea of releasing sterilized male mosquitoes as a population control??


49 posted on 05/31/2019 10:05:34 AM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion (Socialism is cynicism directed towards society and - correspondingly - naivete towards government.)
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To: jospehm20
Quiet a few counties use DDT, but not the USA.

It is manufactured & exported by China, India and N Korea.

50 posted on 05/31/2019 10:09:50 AM PDT by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's fore sure)
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To: epluribus_2
it’s safe bet that after the mosquitoes went the bats, after the bats 20 owls, Hawks, raccoons, well you get the picture. Be careful
Seems like it would be preferable to GM a mosquito which could reproduce without human blood bites. Whatever good the mosquitoes are doing, they could presumably do just as well without biting people, thus without being a vector for malaria. And without being a blamed nuisance generally.

51 posted on 05/31/2019 10:10:13 AM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion (Socialism is cynicism directed towards society and - correspondingly - naivete towards government.)
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To: conservatism_IS_compassion
I wonder what happened to the idea of releasing sterilized male mosquitoes as a population control??

Man, those surgeons are going to have to have extremely good eyesight and VERY tiny tools to complete that many vasectomies ...

52 posted on 05/31/2019 10:14:27 AM PDT by BlueLancer (Orchides Forum Trahite - Cordes Et Mentes Veniant)
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To: conservatism_IS_compassion
"Seems like it would be preferable to GM a mosquito which could reproduce without human blood bites. Whatever good the mosquitoes are doing, they could presumably do just as well without biting people, thus without being a vector for malaria. And without being a blamed nuisance generally.” Actually, that’s sort of a description of the male mosquito, which doesn’t bite people. It’s only the females . . .

So the choices for that issue would seem to be either to make females that don’t bite, or create masses of male mosquitoes who would fill the niche in competition with the females.


53 posted on 05/31/2019 10:15:06 AM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion (Socialism is cynicism directed towards society and - correspondingly - naivete towards government.)
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To: BlueLancer

Back when they were talking about it, the idea was to use radiation for the “vasectomies.”


54 posted on 05/31/2019 10:17:01 AM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion (Socialism is cynicism directed towards society and - correspondingly - naivete towards government.)
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To: conservatism_IS_compassion

Of course, but that’s not remotely as funny as imagining rows of surgeons doing the deed ...


55 posted on 05/31/2019 10:21:04 AM PDT by BlueLancer (Orchides Forum Trahite - Cordes Et Mentes Veniant)
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To: BenLurkin

Either people did not read the article or they do not understand the meaning of this:

“Our technology is not aiming to drive the extinction of mosquitoes, what we’re aiming to do is break malaria transmission in an area.”

Breaking the transmission means that by collapsing an infected generation of mosquitoes, the succeeding generation will have a lower rate of infection. Repeat this enough times periodically will continue to lower the rate of infection and eventually you will have a malaria free populations of both mosquitoes and humans. The US achieved this before DDT was outlawed because we had the money and infrastructure to get it done.

Theoretically malaria could be eradicated globally like small pox was as long as there is no unreached infected population and no unknown reservoir of parasites in an animal population that could also reinfect the mosquito population and start the cycle all over again.


56 posted on 05/31/2019 10:34:52 AM PDT by Valpal1
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To: Buckeye McFrog

It’s the new GM Fun Gus bus. For the rest of us.

A solar powered, driverless bus to nowhere.


57 posted on 05/31/2019 10:58:44 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (The media is after us. Trump's just in the way.)
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To: BenLurkin

I hope the 1% left do not multiply very quickly—because they are resistant to the modified stuff-—AND the natural stuff.

Just sayin’


58 posted on 05/31/2019 11:01:00 AM PDT by Vermont Lt (If we get Medicare for all, will we have to show IDs for service?)
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To: Deaf Smith

I did not know that. Thanks.


59 posted on 05/31/2019 11:13:01 AM PDT by jospehm20
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To: aMorePerfectUnion

Most likely we’ll end up with a mutated mosquito that injects venom.


60 posted on 05/31/2019 11:29:04 AM PDT by Hootowl
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