The deadliest killer in human history isn’t cancer, car accidents, or weapons of mass destruction. It’s a pesky insect that many don’t think twice about: the mosquito. Mosquitoes are notorious carriers of disease, including malaria, yellow fever, Zika, and plenty of other pathogens that have ravaged human populations. But what if humans were able to get rid of such a threat?
In the article, “A Mosquito Solution (More Mosquitoes) Raises Heat in Florida Keys” by Lisette Alvarez in the New York Times, which can be found in Room for Debate, reveals that scientists have designed “male mosquitoes with a specially made gene designed to kill their offspring after they mate in the wild. This, in turn, could blunt the spread of dengue and chikungunya, viral diseases that have no cure and are spreading quickly around the world.”. So, it’s not a question if we could, but if we should.
So far, mosquitoes haven’t been observed to have any significant role in local ecosystems. They aren’t a sole food source or crucial pollinators, so there shouldn’t be disastrous environmental consequences. If humans were to deliberately exterminate these insects, the transmission of these often fatal diseases would vastly decrease, potentially saving lives.
However, that isn’t to say that there would be no consequences. It’s only that researchers haven’t discovered any. Those that may be against the idea of eradicating mosquito populations may argue that there could be an unforeseen butterfly effect.
For instance, mosquitoes are very easy prey, as far as flying insects go. If a species were compelled to transition from an easy source of food to one that is relatively difficult, the numbers of these predators might drop dangerously, as removing an easy prey makes the learning curve for young predators much sharper. There could potentially be local ecosystems where such small changes could spiral out of control, unless mosquitoes were replaceable by another less potentially lethal organism.
So, should humans intentionally eradicate blood-sucking mosquitoes, despite the uncertain consequences? What if the mosquito population were to be replaced with something much worse? Should humans even be allowed to decide the fate of an entire species? What do you think?
Even though mosquitoes annoy me, and leave itchy, swollen bites all over my body. I believe more extensive research is needed, to find out all possible consequences and the absolutely worst outcome that could occur from the eradication of mosquitoes, before the death gene is released into the mosquito population. Such as the unknown possible havoc on global ecosystems that may be unleashed if the mosquitoes suddenly began to disappear at high rates, and the possibility of other species taking over it's place and possibly creating a worse situation. Like a different more dangerous species that was kept in check by the mosquito population that will spread new diseases and create larger problems. Also, it might raise moral issues about the decision of eradicating an entire species of living organisms. Such as how playing God does not always work in our favor, when we try to tamper with the delicate balance of nature. Take the dramatically decreasing honey bee population for example. That could lead to the end of the production of the majority of produce and eventually the human race as we know it. However, I would not miss the yearly summer bug bites, itching, and annoying scars left from scratching a little to hard.
ReplyDeleteI don't care much if we decide to kill mosquitoes. Not only do many of them carry disease, but they are overall annoying. Either way, if I see one they are done for. They bite too much and in my opinion, they are one of the worst bugs ever. They use your blood in order to have children. Technically, that means I'm the father to many mosquitoes. I brought them into the world and I can take them right back out. Humans should use the power of "playing god" to at least do something about mosquitoes. We don't have to kill them all, but in my heart, I believe something should be done.
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