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The Latest Buzz
Topic Started: Oct 30 2011, 06:38 PM (132 Views)
Jolly
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Geaux Tigers!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/science/concerns-raised-about-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes.html?_r=3&ref=business
The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
Those concerns (which the article made us go to page 2 to read about) seem pretty trivial to me.

I say release the little bastards.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Aqua Letifer
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ZOOOOOM!
Quote:
 
Dr. Alphey said the technique was safe because only males were released, while only females bite people and spread the disease, adding that it should have little environmental impact.


Dr. Alphey, the kind of control you're attempting isn't possible. If there's one thing the history of evolution has taught us, it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories, it crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously, but, and...well. There it is.

I'm simply saying that life... finds a way.
I cite irreconcilable differences.
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
Not sure what you are suggesting in practice. Perhaps that the species will evolve to be able to survive the killing gene? While that could happen, in the mean time you'd have a much smaller population of these bastards.

In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Aqua Letifer
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ZOOOOOM!
jon-nyc
Oct 31 2011, 01:10 AM
Not sure what you are suggesting in practice. Perhaps that the species will evolve to be able to survive the killing gene? While that could happen, in the mean time you'd have a much smaller population of these bastards.

Well that was really just an excuse to use a Jurassic Park quote.

But really, I'd say that generally speaking, bad things can happen when we release into nature something that hasn't gone through due process. Unintended consequences can be huge when genetics meets up with environmental science since we still have a very crap understanding of the latter.
I cite irreconcilable differences.
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