The phrase “genetically modified” immediately rings alarm bells for many, and the controversial legacy of GM crops means it’s a no-brainer for some to immediately dismiss these insects as potentially dangerous “franken-mosquitoes” that could do more harm than good. But these GM mosquitoes are the opposite of GM crops. GM crops are designed to have advantageous traits that persist, and one concern of GM crops is the potential for hybridization with other plant species that could result in a loss of diversity and ultimately control. The Oxitec mosquitoes, however, are designed to have negative traits that won’t persist since they all die; it’s a dead-end system that can’t be picked up by other species.
The lethal genes inserted into the mosquitoes also cannot be passed onto humans, and the protein produced is non-toxic to us and isn’t found in their saliva, therefore the technique is safe. According to Parry, the environmental consequences are also negligible, and assessments are made prior to release in an area to examine whether the mosquito is a keystone species, i.e. if it is critical to the food chain of another species.
The phrase “genetically modified” immediately rings alarm bells for many, and the controversial legacy of GM crops means it’s a no-brainer for some to immediately dismiss these insects as potentially dangerous “franken-mosquitoes” that could do more harm than good. But these GM mosquitoes are the opposite of GM crops. GM crops are designed to have advantageous traits that persist, and one concern of GM crops is the potential for hybridization with other plant species that could result in a loss of diversity and ultimately control. The Oxitec mosquitoes, however, are designed to have negative traits that won’t persist since they all die; it’s a dead-end system that can’t be picked up by other species.The lethal genes inserted into the mosquitoes also cannot be passed onto humans, and the protein produced is non-toxic to us and isn’t found in their saliva, therefore the technique is safe. According to Parry, the environmental consequences are also negligible, and assessments are made prior to release in an area to examine whether the mosquito is a keystone species, i.e. if it is critical to the food chain of another species.
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