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As far as I know they only release males, so the males will inevitably impregnate a certain number of normal females, which will have weaker offspring. So no,
by bayesian_horse 7y ago
As far as I know they only release males, so the males will inevitably impregnate a certain number of normal females, which will have weaker offspring.
So no, it's not a permanent fix, because the survivors will repopulate the ecosystem over time. But there was a significant collapse of the population for a time. And that's a win, in terms of Malaria prevention.
- bencollier49 7y agoAnd a loss, for all their predators?
- bayesian_horse 7y agoThey can cope. There is nothing natural about any population size in the mosquitoes we are concerned about. They don't procreate in natural ponds, most of the times, but in whatever bodies of water the Humans provided them through one way or another. And even then, those populations boom and bust all the time, without further intervention. We'd just rather like them to go more bust than boom, in general.
- littlestymaar 7y ago> And that's a win, in terms of Malaria prevention. This experiment was not about Malaria (spread by the Anopheles genus) this is about Aedes aegypti the species which spreads Zika and Dengue fever.