[extropy-chat] Good application of GMO

[Mike Lorrey]

>From the Wikipedia:
"In most female mosquitoes, the mouth parts form a long proboscis for
piercing the skin of mammals (or in some cases birds or even reptiles
and amphibians) to suck their blood. The females require protein for
egg development, and since the normal mosquito diet consists of nectar
and fruit juice, which has no protein, most must drink blood to get the
necessary protein. Males differ from females, with mouth parts not
suitable for blood sucking. Oddly females of one genus of mosquitoes,
Toxorhynchites, never drinks blood. The larvae of the large mosquito
are predatory on other mosquito larvae."

It seems to me that genetically engineering other mosquito species to
live by a Toxorhynchites lifestyle would go a long way to mitigating
mosquito borne diseases around the world, malaria most of all, which is
making a resurgence around the world as drug resistance increases as is population.

Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
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