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Why is Google asking for approval to release millions of mosquitoes into California and Florida?
The project is called the Debug Project, and it was developed by Verily, Google’s life sciences division.
The idea is to breed male mosquitoes carrying a naturally occurring bacteria called Wolbachia. When those males mate with wild female mosquitoes, the eggs fail to hatch, theoretically reducing populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes without spraying pesticides.
The company is now seeking approval to release as many as 32 million mosquitoes over a two-year period.
And what is so wrong with reducing mosquito populations? Maybe it’s not so much what is being done but who is doing it.
Google emerged from university research programs that received federal funding and has long maintained close relationships with government agencies and defense contractors. So when the company says, “Trust us, we’re releasing millions of mosquitoes for your own good,” not everyone is inclined to take that at face value.
The bigger question is not whether these mosquitoes can suppress disease-carrying populations. The question is whether the public should be comfortable with private technology companies conducting large-scale biological interventions in the environment.
Also, a related question: Couldn’t they just release dragonflies instead of diseased mosquitoes? A dragonfly can eat dozens or even hundreds of mosquitoes per day.