Most would agree that the mosquito is the world’s most
annoying insect. And, according to researchers, we may not have to deal with
them for much longer. Scientists have created a type of mosquito that has been
genetically modified to kill it’s offspring before they reach adulthood. What
does this mean? Well, not only will we be able to finally eliminate those pesky
blood-suckers, but also control agricultural pests and insect-borne diseases
like malaria and dengue fever. By using the same techniques in other insects, we could have more
control over the insect population and manipulate it to fit our needs. Also,
utilizing these bugs is a more eco-friendly solution than pesticides.
Although
these genetically-modified insects would be very beneficial in solving a lot of
our agricultural pest and insect-borne diseases problems, some people still
have their doubts. Many disagree with releasing lab-created insects into the
world, as once they are out they cannot be recalled. There are several concerns
about the possible negative health and environmental affects these bugs might
cause. The public may also be wary of the new lab insects, like it was with
genetically-modified crops. I believe, however, that these bugs would do more
good than harm. I don’t really see how they could have serious negative effects
on our health or the environment, if any at all. I hate bugs- especially
mosquitoes- and would be glad to see them a little less prevalent in our
ecosystem.
Every single organism in every single environment is important. Removing one animal or introducing another can have disastrous effects on a small or even large scale. Don't take me wrong, I don't like bug bites or mosquitoes, but it is not our place to manipulate the environment so we don't have these little itchy red things on our arms and legs. In an ecosystem, each different animal plays a part, each equally important. Remove the top predator (lets say wolves), and the population of its prey (in this circumstance, smaller omnivores or larger herbivores) will go unchecked. With an increased population of large herbivores, the plant life will be devastated, possibly beyond repair. So, say we destroy the mosquito. Give it some time... aaaaaaand its gone. Now, whatever eats the mosquito will decrease in population size, and something else is going to eat the mosquitoes predator, and with that decreasing, so will everything above it in the food chain. The mosquito is also not just a small time bug -- its around the world. Eliminating the mosquito will effect countless ecosystems around the world. I can not say that it is a good idea to kill off the mosquito. If we do, not only will it alter our environment, but then where do we stop? Suddenly, we will start the destruction of other "undesirable" species, until we have destroyed what once was mother nature. We have already altered this planet enough, maybe it is time we repair some of the damage instead of making more of it.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with River on this one. Regardless of how annoying or possibly dangerous mosquitoes are, removing them from the ecosystem could create unforeseen consequences on the other organisms in the same ecosystem. For instance, bats rely on mosquitoes as a major source of their food. If we were to exterminate all of the mosquitoes we could end up killing off a lot of bats too. And if there's less bats, there's less food for hawks and owls. In short, if we were to get rid of mosquitoes in their entirety we would be affecting a lot of other species, as well. It would cause a domino effect of sorts. So as annoying as mosquitoes can be to humans, it's not our place to kill them off because it would cause more harm than good. To be frank, the idea of creating this mutant mosquito to kill off others is stupid and needs to be stopped.
ReplyDeleteHunger Games much? I know they're not birds that can record whole conversations, or insects that can cause death and serious illness to humans, but it's still not a pleasant thought. Lab made mosquitos? What happens if they end of going AWOL and don't do what they were meant to. I hate mosquitos as much as the next person, probably more. I spend the majority of my summers applying bug sprays heavy in deet and trying not to scratch that the numerous bug bites covering my body. Mosquitos are obnoxious, yes, but as River and Zachary said, every living organism exists for a reason and contributes to the ecosystem. Remember when they brought kudzu to America? It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but it took over our country, and I'm sure that many people regret the introduction of kudzu now.
ReplyDeleteTrue, it is not a good thing to get rid of entire species, however you seem to have overlooked the important part of this research- because of these bugs, we could now stop relying on environmentally-harmful pesticides and even cure many fatal diseases. Hundreds of thousands of people- sometimes even millions- die each year from malaria, which is spread through mosquitoes. This experiment could decrease the death toll. I am not saying we should kill off every last mosquito, but I do think the world would be a better place if the population went down, especially in places like Africa. Not only would less mosquitoes save lives, but it would also save us from all those support Africa ads that everybody mutes on the TV because they don't want to cry.
ReplyDeleteCarson, you do bring up a good point about the unintended effects of the lab-created bugs, one which many people have also been concerned over. Because of these unknowns people are hesitant to release the mosquitoes. However, I don't think this genetic mutation could go seriously wrong. The insects have been tested in the lab, after all. But it certainly is a concern.
On another note, a giant mosquito just landed on my toe and bit me. Karma, I guess. But there is now one less mosquito infesting our planet, so the revenge is all mine!
The problem with these types of Mosquitoes is that, as has been said, they can't be recalled. While of course we don't want to kill ALL of the mosquitoes, how do we place regulations on these new mutants that prevent them from completely wiping out an important part of our ecosystem? It seems like this could easily go out of control and become the environmental disaster of the century. However, I agree that those African support ads are depressing and we need to do something like this in places that Malaria is still a killer. Perhaps a move to further enhance these Mosquitoes, where the gene to make them become cannibals is extremely recessive. It would be convenient to have maybe one-third of the mosquitoes eat their young, enough to kill pesticides while keeping us comfortable! As a sidenote, it would be pretty gross to see this thing in action. Imagine a massive mosquito eating a bunch of little ones... If we do end up using this, lets keep it overseas as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with the “disagree-ers” on this one. Albeit from a different angle; If scientists are able to breed mosquitoes that will do such an unnatural thing as eating their young (healthy, or not) why would it be so difficult to just engineer them with an aversion to human taste? I am unsure of whether there has been any study in this, but it just seems like a logical compromise between what Carson brought up, as well as what Annie first stated. I found online through some websites that certain…”types” of people tend to attract mosquitoes, while others completely deter them.
ReplyDeleteAnd David, whoa there, don’t get me started on saying that we should quarantine this modification to “overseas.” Granted I am biased because of where I was born (Malaysia) but the effect this could have on people overseas could be even worse than the effect here as the ecology is very compatible for mosquitoes. Near the equator, a lot of standing water, et c.
http://io9.com/5959324/why-do-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-and-not-others
There are many sides to this argument. These mutant mosquitoes, created to kill their own, are beneficial in many ways. If we could get rid of all the mosquitoes in the world, we would be saving millions of lives. These mosquitoes don't only give us huge bumps on our skin, but they also transmit many diseases. They have been known to give yellow fever and malaria to many and they have suffered as a result. Nothing good comes out of mosquitoes, and these mutants would be doing us a huge favor. BUT there is also a defect in this situation. If these mutant mosquitoes were designed to kill their offspring who infect humans, what's to say that these mutants won't also attack us? Mosquitoes like blood, don't they? What's to say that these mutants won't? While these animals are being "created," there's no knowing what dangers they can cause. I recommend the best solution to this problem is to give the idea more research, maybe give more awareness on this issue. Researchers need to find every defect in this creation before release. That way, the public won't panic. The idea of releasing mutant mosquitoes does not please many at first glance. With more research, the blood-sucking pests could possibly be put to rest.
ReplyDelete