Freak of nature: FDA approves genetically engineered mosquitoes to combat Zika virus

‘Genetically engineered mosquitoes have been approved for field trials in Florida by the Food and Drugs Administration, in order to battle the spreading Zika virus. The federal agency says it “will not have significant impacts on the environment.”
Trials have already taken place in Brazil and Panama, but critics argue that female mosquitoes developing a preference for ‘normal’ males could reduce the project’s effectiveness.
The scheme, led by British-based biotech company Oxitec, created the transgenic male Aedes aegypti mosquito, with a trait designed so that any offspring will require antibiotics to develop beyond the larval stage.’
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