How do sterile mosquitos spread their genes?
(Genuine question! I don't know what the risk is)
Re:Let's Kill All the Mosquitoes
by abrookewood on Wednesday April 20, 2016 @08:57PM
(#11538908)
When using sterile mosquitoes, the idea isn't that they pass on their genes, but that they dominate mating and therefore disrupt the breeding cycle. I.e. you release LOTS of sterile males and the normal females spend time mating with them instead of normal males and the population therefore decreases (until you run out of sterile males).
I think the better option (also in the article) is to release engineered males that result on male only offspring. Eventually you run out of females and the species dies off.
Re:Let's Kill All the Mosquitoes
by thaumasiotes on Thursday April 21, 2016 @03:44AM
(#11540273)
> I think the better option (also in the article) is to release engineered males that result on male only offspring. Eventually you run out of females and the species dies off.
This is a double win, since male mosquitos don't bite animals.
makes sense, but how do we 100% ensure nothing unforeseen will go wrong with it? playing god might end up pretty badly if some genetic/other corner case happens
Viruses are the most common way for genes to be transferred. A virus literally goes into the cell of the mosquito and copy's a small portion of its genes and splices it into its own genome, which it can then copy and splice into other organisms.
Ambiguity strikes again! (I was as puzzled as you are, but I think I figured it out)
The problem is we don't know what happens after/when we introduce those genes into the environment. Humans are spreading the gene by releasing the modified mosquitoes - not them having offspring.
Re:Let's Kill All the Mosquitoes
by jasonwatkinspdx on Wednesday April 20, 2016 @04:26PM
(#11537462)
How would sterile mosquitoes transfer genetic material?
I assume that mutating. We release 1bn sterile mosquitoes, most die, but 1,000 of them have a random mutation on top of the original mutation and become hermaphrodites. Now they reproduce on their own and become invincible microbots that bring zika to the masses.
Of course that could also happen in the wild with some good 'ol cosmic rays and no human intervention.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_gene_transfer
Pickup by virus or other microorganism. Transposons.
For example, one of the popular techniques is releasing genetically modified mosquitoes that are sterile. The problem is we don't know what could happen if/when these modified genes spread into the wider environment
It's a very serious concern, whether or not eradicating mosquitoes will introduce more severe problems