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From the article: "The genetically engineered males carry a gene that passes to their offspring and kills female progeny in early larval stages. Male offspring
by mrep 5y ago
From the article: "The genetically engineered males carry a gene that passes to their offspring and kills female progeny in early larval stages. Male offspring won’t die but instead will become carriers of the gene and pass it to future generations. As more females die, the Aedes aegypti population should dwindle."
- irae 5y agoExactly. Your quote does not invalidate the previous statement at all. Per evolution basic theory, the gene most adapted to the environment and which produces more offsprings, survives. Therefore, offsprings of unmodified mosquitos have twice the chance to reproduce, as both males and females can reproduce and both will yield unmodified males and females. I wouldn't know the rate, but even if slowly, unmodified strain will come back, unless extinct. There need be no female preference for this to happen, but of course if they evolve to detect modified males it would accelerate the rate which modified mosquitos get extinct.