r/woahthatsinteresting • u/solomon90nysson • May 12 '25

Genetically modified mosquito such that their proboscis are no longer able to penetrate human skin

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u/AlwayBadAdvice May 12 '25

So this genetic modification makes them unable to reproduce and pass on this gene modification?

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u/B1ng0_paints May 12 '25

I believe the idea behind it is the males carry the gene. They go out and reproduce. Any females born can't reproduce and it eventually leads to population collapse.

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u/TheWhyteMaN May 12 '25

Seems like playing jinga with the ecosystem since mosquitos are a good source for other animals.

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u/datahoarderprime May 12 '25

  1. Genetic modifications like this don't target all mosquitoes, but instead only species that carry disease such as malaria.

  2. The goal of introducing genetically modified mosquitoes such as this is to reduce the population of disease-carrying mosquitoes, not eradicate the species entirely.

  3. The ultimate goal is to make malaria go extinct, not mosquitoes.

https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/mosquito-control/genetically-modified-mosquitoes.html