I'm sorry but this is an ass backward, we literally brought species back from the brink with less numbers in environment that have become adverse to them. Here we have an environment where the...
However, it was already known from previous laboratory experiments that a small proportion of about three to four percent of OX513A descendants can reach adulthood; the scientists had assumed that those would be too weak to reproduce.
I'm sorry but this is an ass backward, we literally brought species back from the brink with less numbers in environment that have become adverse to them. Here we have an environment where the species has been thriving and don't expect a 3-4% to be able to rebuild a population? I mean I agree this is Monday morning quarterbacking but this is not out of left field to see this happening.
**EDIT: this was needlessly hyperbolic and did not add to the conversation in a meaningful way. I would delete it, but it is more important to me to keep it as a reminder to weigh in with a level head
From the wording of that phrase you highlighted, I assumed they meant that any adult mosquitos with this modified gene would be weak individuals who would not be able to perform the act of...
From the wording of that phrase you highlighted, I assumed they meant that any adult mosquitos with this modified gene would be weak individuals who would not be able to perform the act of reproduction. So, even if they didn't die as larvae, they wouldn't be able to reproduce as adults. Either way, they weren't expected to make more baby mosquitos.
I read that not as being about population numbers being insufficient to survive, but as being about the population being unable to reproduce.
The problem here is not that the numbers of mosquitos are too high. The problem is that these genetically modified mosquitos simply shouldn't have been able to reproduce at all.
Hardly surprising. But interesting to read about the tracking gene inserted along with the gene aimed at killing the mosquitos.
I'm sorry but this is an ass backward, we literally brought species back from the brink with less numbers in environment that have become adverse to them. Here we have an environment where the species has been thriving and don't expect a 3-4% to be able to rebuild a population? I mean I agree this is Monday morning quarterbacking but this is not out of left field to see this happening.
**EDIT: this was needlessly hyperbolic and did not add to the conversation in a meaningful way. I would delete it, but it is more important to me to keep it as a reminder to weigh in with a level head
I assume they put the tracking gene in because there was some doubt about this.
From the wording of that phrase you highlighted, I assumed they meant that any adult mosquitos with this modified gene would be weak individuals who would not be able to perform the act of reproduction. So, even if they didn't die as larvae, they wouldn't be able to reproduce as adults. Either way, they weren't expected to make more baby mosquitos.
I read that not as being about population numbers being insufficient to survive, but as being about the population being unable to reproduce.
The problem here is not that the numbers of mosquitos are too high. The problem is that these genetically modified mosquitos simply shouldn't have been able to reproduce at all.