Posted on 05/10/2021 8:05:44 AM PDT by Jan_Sobieski
The British biotech company Oxitec is moving ahead with its controversial plan to release hundreds of millions of gene-hacked mosquitoes, an experimental new form of targeted pest control, in the Florida Keys.
The goal is essentially to introduce a new genetically altered version of the Aedes aegypti mosquito — which can spread diseases like dengue and malaria — that can only hatch male, non-biting offspring, in order to gradually reduce the population.
A connection that has gone mostly unremarked during the experiment’s rollout is the involvement of Microsoft co-founder and public health philanthropist Bill Gates in the funding of the company, confirmed by Oxitec back in 2018, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Based on past reports, it seems that the Gates Foundation pledged about $4.1 million to Oxitec in 2018 to develop a new mosquito that would target malaria in the Americas, South Asia, and eastern Africa.
Oxitec was also reportedly awarded $5 million for its Aedes mosquitoes — the kind set for release in Florida — through the Gates Foundation’s Global Grand Challenges initiative in 2010. Meanwhile, Science Magazine reported in 2010 that the Gates Foundation had dished out $19.7 million for a project in which Oxitec took part…
(Excerpt) Read more at futurism.com ...
critics say there are scientific flaws with Oxitec’s plan for the Florida release and insufficient safety testing. There’s no independently-vetted evidence that the mosquitoes will actually reduce disease transmission in Florida or that they won’t cause new problems of their own in the environment. Many in the community say they feel the experiment is being forced on them with no way to opt out other than packing up and leaving the area.
“that can only hatch male, non-biting offspring, in order to gradually reduce the population”
Surely the population completely dies out?
What will the bats eat?
>>in order to gradually reduce the population.
Bill Gates says that vaccines will reduce global populations as well and his justification is the belief that people in third world won’t have as many kids if they think that more of them will survive into adulthood.
Isn’t gates one of the every single liberal that wants to drastically reduce global population to save the poley bears?
That was my thought/question. How far up the food chain would this go?
Kudzu was brought in to stop soil erosion. Waterlilies were introduced because they were pretty. Rabbits in Australia are a disaster. Snakes or cats introduced on any island are biological Armageddon.
I actually can’t think of any manmade introductions that have been good for the environment or that haven’t created another, worse problem.
Like fish dying of starvation?
Right-Every human intervention in things like this has failed.
Most failed disastrously never to be reversed!
Don’t worry Bill owns planet Earth now
The mosquitoes were infected with the “T” virus. Nothing to see here.
Law of unintended consequences
We’ve seen this movie. Never ends well when we mess with nature.
Bill Gates needs to be locked up.
He keeps making decisions for the whole world and it’s NOT his place.
He is dangerous and needs to be stopped and if it can only be done by death, so be it.
Stop him.
“I actually can’t think of any manmade introductions that have been good for the environment or that haven’t created another, worse problem.”
Pheasants? Salmon in the great lakes?
Yes, this is his claim, however millions of children in India and Africa have been adversely affected (sterilized, paralyzed, died, etc.) and he is immune to legal action. There is a gap between What he says and what he does
This is pretty much the way we eliminated cattle screw flies in the Southwest. We released millions and millions of irradiated, sterile screw flies, and cases dropped dramatically.
You say “we.” Did you have a vote on the flies?
A quick glance at the title made me think that this was an article about Gene Hackman.
Need coffee.....
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