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I read an article in this month's Pop Sci detailing a research program aimed at eradicating the mosquito that carries malaria. At first blush, this sounds like a terrific idea. After all, malaria is a horrible disease, killing one million people a year, 5,000 children a day (four every minute), and draining billions of dollars from Third World countries to really cannot afford it.
However, we are talking about a deliberate campaign to bring about the extinction of an entire species. Also, the program is dependent upon homing endonuclease genes (HEG's), which are said to be of no benefit to the organism which carries them. Apparently, HEG's beat the usual 50/50 odds of being passed to the Next Generation by copying themselves from one chromosome to another. Once all the chromosomes possesses the HEG, it is assured of being carried on. This reproductive strategy is quoted as having in 95% success rate, "even though the genes confer no survival benefit".
All of the experts seem to agree that:
A) the extinction of the mosquito species Anapheles Gambiae will have little or no environmental impact, and
B) HEG's are highly successful at reproducing themselves from one generation to the next, without conferring any survival benefit.
How much confidence do you have in these two conclusions? (I must confess, I harbor some reservations as to whether we, as a species, possesses enough knowledge to make such statements with any great certainty)
However, we are talking about a deliberate campaign to bring about the extinction of an entire species. Also, the program is dependent upon homing endonuclease genes (HEG's), which are said to be of no benefit to the organism which carries them. Apparently, HEG's beat the usual 50/50 odds of being passed to the Next Generation by copying themselves from one chromosome to another. Once all the chromosomes possesses the HEG, it is assured of being carried on. This reproductive strategy is quoted as having in 95% success rate, "even though the genes confer no survival benefit".
All of the experts seem to agree that:
A) the extinction of the mosquito species Anapheles Gambiae will have little or no environmental impact, and
B) HEG's are highly successful at reproducing themselves from one generation to the next, without conferring any survival benefit.
How much confidence do you have in these two conclusions? (I must confess, I harbor some reservations as to whether we, as a species, possesses enough knowledge to make such statements with any great certainty)