The mosquito is the animal species that causes the most deaths in the world, with 750,000 deaths each year due to the diseases it transmits, such as dengue fever, chikungunya, and the Zika virus. To resolve this problem, Google launched the “Debug” public health project, the aim of which is to regulate the diseases caused by these insects… by releasing several million of them into the wild.
The tech giant has in fact planned to release 30 million little bloodsuckers in California and Florida, and is only waiting for validation from the American government. But be careful, the company has not completely let go of the ramp nor decided to become a “villain” worthy of a James Bond: only males – which do not sting, unlike females – will be released and all will be sterile.
Noisy, but harmless
Aside from their shrill noise that will ring in the ears of residents of Florida and California, the critters will be completely harmless to humans. These “good mosquitoes” released will in fact be contaminated by a bacteria, Wolbachia, which makes the male sterile. Mating with the female mosquito will take place, but no offspring will result, which should ultimately reduce the number of mosquitoes overall, summarizes a Fast Company article.
If the project seems counterintuitive at first glance, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is not inventing anything and is using a technique already used and which has proven itself against certain types of fruit flies and larvae. This is the first time that it will be used against mosquitoes, and on this scale. “They are fragile and difficult to raise in sufficient quantities. But with Debug, we are developing new technologies to make that possible”assures the official website of the operation.
Other techniques for getting rid of mosquitoes have never really worked, assure those responsible for the Debug project. Pesticides, for example, are extremely toxic and less effective over time. On the contrary, the first tests of sterile mosquito releases, carried out in Singapore, are clear: between 80 and 90% fewer mosquito specimens, and 70% reduction in incidents due to dengue after twelve to twelve months, according to the Ministry of the Environment.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has said it is ready to study Google’s proposal to release 16 million mosquitoes per year for two years and is expected to give its approval this week.
