(Summary)
Residents in the Florida Keys oppose the release of a genetically modified mosquito that could reduce rates of dengue fever and pesticide use, Al Jazeera reports. The male mosquitoes, which were developed by the scientific organization Oxitec, are genetically modified to carry a gene that will kill their offspring. When the mosquitoes were released in Brazil and the Cayman Islands, they were successful in reducing the whole mosquito population by 80%. Now Oxitec scientists want to release the mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, where the rates of dengue fever are especially high. However, residents are wary of potential environmental effects and are calling for further testing.
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Read the full, original story here: “Genetically modified mosquitoes set off uproar in Florida Keys”
