https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/gmo-fungus-mass-kills-malaria-mosquitoes/
The late Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug worked tirelessly on GMO to prevent famines and cultivate crops on poor soil….but the junk science purveyors thwarted all his efforts….rsk
Genetically modified organisms offer so much potential to save lives, improve the environment, and generally promote a more prosperous and healthier future. For example, “golden rice”–genetically modified to contain vitamin A — promises to be a great preventative of blindness and death for destitute children in the developing world.
In the latest example, scientists have genetically modified a fungus that infects malaria mosquitoes to contain lethal spider venom. In a controlled test, the population of these dangerous insects collapsed once the GMO fungus was introduced into the population. From the BBC report:
A 6,500-sq-ft fake village – complete with plants, huts, water sources and food for the mosquitoes – was set up in Burkina Faso. It was surrounded by a double layer of mosquito netting to prevent anything escaping. A so-called “mosquitosphere” tests the fungus in real-world conditions, without releasing it into the wild
The fungal spores were mixed with sesame oil and wiped on to black cotton sheets. The mosquitoes had to land on the sheets to be exposed to the deadly fungus. The researchers started the experiments with 1,500 mosquitoes.