Maybe there’s more money to made by targeting Zika.
Aedes:
https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/
https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/
Anopheles:
The other factor is that if one has a biological control scheme to kill off Aedes, but doesn’t have a comparable scheme to kill off Anopheles, the merits of spending money and effort on Anopheles control are beside the point. This might work to prevent Zika spread. If it works, that would be a good thing.
Except theoretically, the females (who are the ones who feed on blood, not the males) can’t survive without tetracycline, so you may have the species, but you won’t have the blood feeders.
Also, how much tetracycline is in Florida’s water supply? As with everything, dose is important. How much do the females require to survive, and how much is in the water? I’d be pretty surprised if there was significant tetracycline in the water, even if there was trace levels…
A lot of science communicators seem to be physicists. I don’t begrudge them, as long as it doen’t detract from research in their original field. And since physics is expensive, it serves a practical goal-- getting people who don’t know anything beyond zombie cats and rubber sheets to loosen their wallets.
But in this case, it seems like a opportunity is being missed to tell a straight consistent story.
I hope this latest Covid-19 vaccination campaign will help future science communicators refine their methods.
Life finds a way…
You can lead a horse to lead; but you can’t make it a pencil.
thom,
"Sexytime Frankenstein Death Mosquitoes". can we just not?
I mean, look, I get it. clever. also,
not helping.
I read your post, went back and read your Upworthy article and have given it several hours thought…
but I am still not happy. I will be as careful as I can be in my response.
there are fewer than 15,000 full-time residents in the Florida Keys. meaning we don’t just fuck off to other homes on the mainland during hurricane OR mosquito season. county records show just over 70,000 residents (including the 15k fulltimers) read: the balance are second home owners, vacation property owners, etc. that own their properties here in the islands. now, who voted and approved the release of the Oxitec mozzies over five years ago?
who are those crying foul now?
look, I know that I have some knuckle-dragging mouthbreathers for neighbors, but here’s my point: it does no one any good to sensationalize - with ever more alarming headlines - this very needed project to TRY to do SOMETHING other than douse those of us who live here year round with aerial bombardment of toxic chemicals (that have knock-on effect of killing the ever so put upon native pollinators, bees, butterflies, etc. not to mention the effects on those folks with compromised breathing issues). terms like “FrankenSkeeters”, “Mutant Mozzies” or “Sexytime Frankenstein Death Mosquitoes” only serve to frighten those aforementioned neighbors that couldn’t be arsed to read any of the actual study or reasearch - however sparing - and make themselves knowledgeable to participate. I’ve been to the public hearings, sat in on county commissioners meetings on this subject. Oxitec was clear on what they know, what can be reasonably expected and what is just frightful fantasy.
I want this project to go forward. the last board meeting said it will. good. there were 70 cases of dengue (breakbone) fever on Key Largo last summer. Key Largo is a target island for release. good. do you or any others here have anything to try?
so, this is from your conclusion to the Upworthy article:
…
While the science fiction fan in me is still terrified of the consequences, the rational human in me understands the math.
Eliminating 80% of the mosquitoes that deliver these diseases could save nearly half a million lives every year.
So what are we waiting for?
…
I think we are waiting for headlines and scare phrases like f*cking “Sexytime Frankenstein Death Mosquitoes”
to die.
/rant
edit formatting, typos
The sentence is ambiguous. Maybe the intended meaning is “In these two species, it is only the females who actually bite humans.”
It’s a great idea that should not be performed by a private, for-profit company. There are too many incentives to cut corners.
only thing with that is
no one screaming bloody hell give a shit about the science, whether from private industry or government.
they react to the rage and fear machine that even good intentioned writers, like our friend @thomdunn , toss out with those delectable morsels of teh scary!
As someone conditioned to read everything before signing, but who has also been to Florida more than once, I’m 100% with Virginia Donaldson on this one.
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