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The title is very misleading. "Strengthened" had nothing to do with the genetically modified genes. They released non-local mosquitoes that had been genetically
by learc83 7y ago
The title is very misleading. "Strengthened" had nothing to do with the genetically modified genes. They released non-local mosquitoes that had been genetically modified, and because those mosquitoes bred with local mosquitoes (same species, just from a different location), the local mosquitoes now have a wider gene pool.
The wider gene pool is what the article is referring to as being "strengthened", not any observable difference.
- yakshaving_jgt 7y agoI’m ignorant on this topic, but aren’t animals with a wider gene pool usually more robust?
- AstralStorm 7y agoWe're not talking wider gene pool, were higher generation crosses with a modified subspecies. This is somewhat different as original sterile flies were designed to produce low viability first crosses. It remains to be seen if they're more or less robust. Any outcome is possible. They could also be more or less fecund. They will be harder to kill off via an engineered program like a disease or maybe sooner insecticides.
- sbierwagen 7y agoNot always. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outbreeding_depression https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outbreeding_depression