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I don't happen to feel GM organisms are automatically bad in themselves or that eating said GM organism is going to alter my DNA to the point I grow a second head, but there's a lot more to it here. It's one thing to create GM versions of domesticated species that remain under human control. Quite another to broadcast them into the environment with the happy cry "go forth and multiply".
Humankind has a pretty dismal track record of attempts to eliminate/introduce organisms when the motivation was primarily to benefit itself. I very much doubt anyone working with GM mosquitoes has a clue about the potential cascade of unpleasant consequences. Those tend to be the ones that matter over time.
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Yes, you're right that people have made quite a mess of things through the introduction of invasive species.
In the USA for example:
- wild hogs/boar
- pythons
- anacondas
- boa constrictors
- iguanas
- milfoil weed
- kudzu weed
- zebra mussels
- asian carp
- asian shore crab
...are just some of the introduced species that are causing profound problems here and that we're unable to control. Some were introduced deliberately, and others inadvertently, but in all cases, it was done without sufficient thought.
Whenever I read stories like this, I always think, "Hm, nice basis for a science-fiction story. Tampering with a blood-sucking insect that carries disease - what could possibly go wrong?"
The Black Mirror series answered that (sort of). One episode was about Drone Insects used in place of an extinct honeybee population, the drones got hacked, and ended up going far beyond the call of duty.
Swift and acrobatic Swallows also do a great job on mosquitoes and flies. Tree Swallows can reportedly eat as many as 2,000 insects per day, each!
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Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't happen to feel GM organisms are automatically bad in themselves or that eating said GM organism is going to alter my DNA to the point I grow a second head, but there's a lot more to it here. It's one thing to create GM versions of domesticated species that remain under human control. Quite another to broadcast them into the environment with the happy cry "go forth and multiply".
