Day 670: May 10th, 2021. Despite the fact that gene editing is still a large topic for discussion, there are many programs out there taking advantage of the technology. One that's already being used is Oxitec's genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes - a species of mosquito that carries deadly diseases like Zika and yellow fever. . The concept is fairly simple: modified male mosquitoes are released that carry a deadly gene that causes female offspring to die before they reach maturity. Seeing that only female mosquitoes bite people, the disease-carrying mosquitoes will no longer be able to spread diseases to humans. In areas where the modified mosquitoes have been released (Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama, and Malaysia), local mosquito populations have been curbed by a whopping 90 percent! . Previously unseen in the U.S., the first round were introduced to the Florida Keys just last month. The area usually spends $1 million a year on mosquito control, but the modified mosquitoes could provide a potentially cheaper, longer lasting solution than chemical sprays. This specific species only makes up about 4% of the mosquito population in the area, so it is unlikely to cause an ecological collapse -but the question must be raised: where is the line between "good" genetic modification and "interfering with natural selection"? . . Read more about the mosquitoes: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-first-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-have-just-been-released-in-us . Graphic shows a mosquito. The factoid reads: "Genetically modified mosquitoes released in Brazil, Panama, and Malaysia have cut local mosquito populations by 90 percent." . . #mosquitoes #oxitec #geneediting #geneticengineering #gmo #geneticallymodified #gmoanimals #animalart #animalfacts #pesticides #deathbymosquito #pixelplanet #pixelplanettoday #pixelart #planetfacts