Read this in Slashdot yesterday.
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/20/1344252
BTW, GM = Genetically modified
Well, in my graduate studies, we discussed this concept alot. You can design new things, but you really don't have a clear idea of the potential downstream consequences. For instance, you make a more hardy version of mosquitos, a potential consequence may be that this makes it more difficult for pesticides to kill them, making the spread of other blood born diseases more common. Getting rid of malaria is clearly a good thing, but is this worth the risk? Are we really at the point where we can start introducing GM creatures into the environment? We are doing this with crops, but crops don't clearly have a high risk factor of spreading diseases. Introductions of new species into new environments has not always had the best results in the past. Can we clearly say that this introduction will do much better?
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/20/1344252
These GM insects carry a gene that prevents them from being infected by the malaria parasite and has the added benefit of providing a fitness advantage to the mosquitoes.
BTW, GM = Genetically modified
Well, in my graduate studies, we discussed this concept alot. You can design new things, but you really don't have a clear idea of the potential downstream consequences. For instance, you make a more hardy version of mosquitos, a potential consequence may be that this makes it more difficult for pesticides to kill them, making the spread of other blood born diseases more common. Getting rid of malaria is clearly a good thing, but is this worth the risk? Are we really at the point where we can start introducing GM creatures into the environment? We are doing this with crops, but crops don't clearly have a high risk factor of spreading diseases. Introductions of new species into new environments has not always had the best results in the past. Can we clearly say that this introduction will do much better?