4 ms·
Do mosquitoes really serve any benign purpose in the biosphere with their existence?
by godelmachine 8y ago
Do mosquitoes really serve any benign purpose in the biosphere with their existence?
- tfha 8y agoYou are missing the point. Gene drive can do this to any species.
- godelmachine 8y agoNow the clouds part. Mosquitoes are just the first guinea pigs to see if this Gene Drive works as desired or not, am I right?
- david-gpu 8y agoI don't think we can know with absolutely certainty, and driving a species (or many) to extinction is irreversible with our current technology, so we should think real hard before choosing to wipe a species out.
- mrweasel 8y agoThey are a source of food for the next step in the food chain. You risk disturbing the entire ecosystem by eliminating mosquitos. Maybe some other insect will take their place, but the you risk eliminating the species as well because to many are eat. It’s insanely complicated, and you can’t think in terms of benign or not. All animals are benign, they’re just animal filling out their niche in nature.
- ddingus 8y agoWe do not understand well enough to even believe we can properly assess that question, let alone express reputable confidence.