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I reject the idea that humans should make mosquitos extinct; they are a key part of the food chain. If that's not a good enough reason, I have a dumb hypothesi

I reject the idea that humans should make mosquitos extinct; they are a key part of the food chain. If that's not a good enough reason, I have a dumb hypothesis that mosquitos have played a part in evolution for millions of years, based on the premise that they spread viruses/retroviruses and retroviruses are capable of modifying DNA. They also spread other diseases which may cause certain genetic lines to survive over others. This hypothesis could be complete junk, but who is going to be able to run a scientific experiment that would take 10,000 years or more? The food chain reason is immediately obvious, but is anyone considering the impact over massive timescales?

bedobi 5y ago
Then you will be glad to hear that no one is proposing eradicating mosquitoes! What's being proposed it eradicating a single invasive mosquito species that doesn't belong in the ecosystem in question, constitutes only a tiny fraction of the mosquito population where they exist, and doesn't fill any meaningful ecological role anywhere! Instead of indiscriminately drenching entire ecosystems in DDT and other substances with god knows what effects. As for mosquitoes playing a part in evolution... Just what? I also note that you probably don't live in the affected areas. Sorry, but your feeling good about your ideological tastes being satisfied isn't worth more than literally millions of lives every year.
- globular-toast 5y ago
  > As for mosquitoes playing a part in evolution... Just what? It sounds like a very plausible theory to me. Horizontal gene transfer is now well-known in bacteria. We know the tree of life is a vast oversimplification of the real processes that drive evolution. Why would you so quickly dismiss this idea?
  - bedobi 5y ago
    Even ignoring this species is invasive everywhere outside Africa, constitutes only a tiny fraction of the mosquito population where they exist, and doesn't fill any meaningful ecological role anywhere... The rest of the planet that has never had this mosquito are basically in danger then, from inability to "evolve", and humans shouldn't live in those areas lest they lose out on evolution? Will you move to an affected area to make sure you don't miss out?

bedobi 5y ago

Then you will be glad to hear that no one is proposing eradicating mosquitoes! What's being proposed it eradicating a single invasive mosquito species that doesn't belong in the ecosystem in question, constitutes only a tiny fraction of the mosquito population where they exist, and doesn't fill any meaningful ecological role anywhere! Instead of indiscriminately drenching entire ecosystems in DDT and other substances with god knows what effects. As for mosquitoes playing a part in evolution... Just what? I also note that you probably don't live in the affected areas. Sorry, but your feeling good about your ideological tastes being satisfied isn't worth more than literally millions of lives every year.

globular-toast 5y ago
> As for mosquitoes playing a part in evolution... Just what? It sounds like a very plausible theory to me. Horizontal gene transfer is now well-known in bacteria. We know the tree of life is a vast oversimplification of the real processes that drive evolution. Why would you so quickly dismiss this idea?
- bedobi 5y ago
  Even ignoring this species is invasive everywhere outside Africa, constitutes only a tiny fraction of the mosquito population where they exist, and doesn't fill any meaningful ecological role anywhere... The rest of the planet that has never had this mosquito are basically in danger then, from inability to "evolve", and humans shouldn't live in those areas lest they lose out on evolution? Will you move to an affected area to make sure you don't miss out?