Swarm troopers: Mutant armies waging war in the wild
We can now genetically modify animals to kill off their own kind, while leaving other species unharmed.
New Scientist: 12 September 2011
TechNyou
Genetically modified mosquitos combating dengue fever, fish that only produce male offspring are just two of the research projects close to reality. There are lots more ideas of how to genetically modify an animal to control its population, or in the case of the mosquito, a disease.
TechNyou has posted stories before and blog commentaries – see below – on the GM mosquitos, and despite the New Scientist article suggesting there has been minimal protest or concern from communities or Public Interest Groups ( a name they like to call themselves now, but they may want to reconsider given the acronym), I know there has been some concern in Australia and online and I suspect that if they tried to release such mosquitos, or any other similar genetically modified animal (such as the daughterless carp) there would be some serious protests.
News stories
GM mosquito surprises campaigners
GM fungus in war against malaria
Australian angle
Australia is investigating a different way to fight the dengue-carrying mosquito by infecting the mosquito with a bacteria. This approach is less likely to raise the ire of those opposed to genetic modification technologies.
Modified mossie to battle dengue