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Articles on Genetically modified mosquitoes

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Children run as an agent of the National Institute of Public Hygiene carries out fumigation in the Anyama district of Abidjan,Ivory Coast. SIA KAMBOU/AFP via Getty Images

More dengue fever and less malaria – mosquito control strategies may need to shift as Africa heats up

A warming climate may change the types of viruses that thrive. A new report suggests that the threat of malaria may be replaced by dengue, for which there is no treatment and no cure.
In 2018 scientists of the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control tested a new way to suppress mosquito populations carrying the Zika virus. RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty Images

Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Florida and Texas beginning this summer – silver bullet or jumping the gun?

Release of GM mosquitoes in Florida is imminent. But a multidisciplinary team of scientists believe that more studies are needed first. They encourage a publicly accessible registry for GM organisms.
CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology is being used in field from agriculture to medicine to food security and disease control. TotallyMJ/Shutterstock.com

CRISPR isn’t just for editing human embryos, it also works for plants and bugs: 5 essential reads

You may not agree with using the gene-editing tool, CRISPR, to alter the DNA of human babies. But what about using it to engineer plants? Or wipe out one of the world’s most dangerous creatures?
A female Anopheles stephensi mosquito bites a human to get a blood meal through its pointed proboscis. A droplet of blood is expelled from the abdomen after having engorged itself. Jim Gathany/Wikimedia Commons

Using gene drives to control wild mosquito populations and wipe out malaria

Researchers are exploring genetic forms of population control called gene drives that spread traits faster that happens naturally. The goal is to curb mosquito-borne diseases like malaria.
View of Taichung City, Taiwan, behind a mosquito net. Alan Picard / Shutterstock.com

Opening up research labs with modified mosquitoes to the community

Genetically modified mosquitoes breed fear and suspicion, especially since the research happens behind closed doors, away from the public. Now scientists and architects are trying to change that model.
More than 3.9 billion people live in regions where the Aedes aegypti mosquito is present. This species transmits Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. mycteria/Shutterstock.com

Genetically modified mosquitoes may be best weapon for curbing disease transmission

For several billion people mosquitoes are more than a nuisance – they transmit deadly diseases. Now genetic modification may prove the most effective defense against the mosquito, preventing disease.

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