Posted on 03/27/2015 8:54:49 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
In the unofficial mosquito capital of Canada, most people do whatever they can to avoid the clouds of biting, whining pests. Steve Whyard, on the other hand, is creating mosquitoes by the thousands.
Inside his Winnipeg lab, the University of Manitoba biologist is soaking larvae of one of the insect’s most dangerous strains in a special solution to “silence” two of the bugs’ genes.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalpost.com ...
What could go wrong?
Bring back DDT!
No kidding...
Yep that’s right, play god and start messing with the entire food chain. It’s all good. These types always know exactly what they’re doing. All the possibilities have been considered and unforeseen consequences planned for. They’re scientists - the new gods. The ones who worship at the altar of global warming among other things. Just TRUST them.
Tagline appropriate here as well...
Bingo.
Mark Twain said that once he was walking a path by the Mississippi River when two mosquitos grabbed him and threw him to the ground. One turned to the other and asked if they should eat him there or drag him into the woods. The other replied that it they drug him into the woods the big ones would take him away from them.
I don’t see any issue with this research, or with the solution. Anything that would reduce the risk of dengue or malaria where I live is worth the hand-wringing of the neo-luddites.
But I guess you'd be wringing your hands over that.
DDT is a good solution for limited applications. It’s ideal for indoor use, but because it is both wide-spectrum and persistent it plays hell with the ecosystem, killing bugs that are either benign and/or useful (such as pollinators). Like the other tools at our disposal it has its place but it is not a cure-all.
DDT? No problem. There was NO scientific justification for the ban in the first place. It was entirely political and stupid to boot.
They gave DDT to dogs and the DDT treated dogs had stronger, healthier litters with better survival than the control group. For example.
So, wringing my hands? I don’t think so.
DDT would help tremendously. I have no problem with that. But, I can’t get it.
I have no problem with getting rid of the mosquitoes which carry dengue and malaria. If this will do it, GO FOR IT!
I refuse to eat GMO mosquitoes. They should be labeled.
It worked so well with Africanized Bees in Brazil.
I heard they cause Autism...
So bring back DDT.
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