I am not a Geneticist or Biologist

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Again, the issue here is adding ultimately unnecessary complexity. If you're releasing wave after wave of bugs across many generations anyway, why not just stick with the simpler sterility therapy? Or spray insecticides?

Yeah, you're probably right. Though I think I'd prefer the sterilisation pest control system more than just mass insecticide use. It would kind of kill a whole lot more than mosquitoes. But doing something is better than nothing, regardless.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

We need to make predatory bushes that have Venus Flytraps instead of leaves and that give off the scent that mosquitoes use to track humans.

Now, I know mosquitoes use more than scent to find their meals, but with as many as would be on a bush, I imagine enough would end up in the traps. Obviously, there would be some collateral; the plants would only attract mosquitoes, but they wouldn't be able to distinguish between other bugs.

I guess you would start with turning the flytraps into bushes, then make them emit a smell that mosquitoes track by. Clearly, this would take time.

Do you think it would work? Do you think it would do more harm than good? How much would you donate to a kickstarter(or whatever) for this?

Why would they need to do that when we are already genetically modifying mosquito instead to be harmless to humans? They still provide food for the animals who need them and they will no longer pose a danger to us.

http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/health/genetically-modified-mosquito/1954202-2970820-hl7liez/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/05/florida-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-zika

 

[Kolby Jack]

How big do you think a laser has to be to kill a mosquito? It most likely wouldn't even hurt a person. Also, it's not like it fires at anything and everything in range. It uses algorithms and shit to target mosquitoes, which are tiny even by insect standards. Do you not know that computers can do that sort of thing? I mean, they've come a long way.

Well, I'm guessing that the laser has to be powerful enough to burn a mosquito, right? So I can only imagine that it would be enough to blind a person. And given that mosquitos are attracted to people (and to the vapour and carbon dioxide a person exhales) I might make the argument that it's only a matter of time before a laser shoots into/across your face ...?

How? Lasers travel instantaneously, unaffected by gravity: when fired by a computer, they don't miss. The beam itself not only doesn't need to be bigger then the bug, but it can be tiny compared to it and last for less than a microsecond. The burst of heat would finish it off. And the whole point is to kill the mosquitoes BEFORE they get close to anyone, as in, the machines would be placed on borders to create a barrier, not on your front porch aimed at your eyeball.

My friend, you watch too many movies. Lasers are nothing like Hollywood portrays them. They're awesome, but they aren't death rays.

 

[Thaluikhain]

How? Lasers travel instantaneously, unaffected by gravity: when fired by a computer, they don't miss.

In theory, yes. In practice, especially since you'd need zillions of these things so they'd have to be made very cheaply, not so much. Hell, look at the problems they had with CIWS with a massive budget.

My friend, you watch too many movies. Lasers are nothing like Hollywood portrays them. They're awesome, but they aren't death rays.

Um...you are using them to produce rays to cause death to a creature, so they sorta are.

 

[Kolby Jack]

How? Lasers travel instantaneously, unaffected by gravity: when fired by a computer, they don't miss.

In theory, yes. In practice, especially since you'd need zillions of these things so they'd have to be made very cheaply, not so much. Hell, look at the problems they had with CIWS with a massive budget.

Those are bullets, designed to shoot missiles. Lasers are not bullets. Mosquitoes are not missiles. And the military always overpays for everything.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Those are bullets, designed to shoot missiles. Lasers are not bullets. Mosquitoes are not missiles. And the military always overpays for everything.

I don't mean failing to hit the target, I mean engaging things that weren't targets to begin with. Sticking zillions of automated lasers powerful enough to kill small insects around will end badly.

 

[Kolby Jack]

Those are bullets, designed to shoot missiles. Lasers are not bullets. Mosquitoes are not missiles. And the military always overpays for everything.

I don't mean failing to hit the target, I mean engaging things that weren't targets to begin with. Sticking zillions of automated lasers powerful enough to kill small insects around will end badly.

Again... how?! You really aren't thinking this through logically. You aren't saying anything backed by evidence or reason, you just keep saying it will end badly. Please tell me how you think a computer would mistake anything else for a mosquito.

 

[DoPo]

Those are bullets, designed to shoot missiles. Lasers are not bullets. Mosquitoes are not missiles. And the military always overpays for everything.

I don't mean failing to hit the target, I mean engaging things that weren't targets to begin with. Sticking zillions of automated lasers powerful enough to kill small insects around will end badly.

Again... how?! You really aren't thinking this through logically. You aren't saying anything backed by evidence or reason, you just keep saying it will end badly. Please tell me how you think a computer would mistake anything else for a mosquito.

How would a computer recognise a mosquito is a better question? Image recognition is and has always been a VERY HARD problem in computer science. Mosquitoes don't really emit that many recognisable signals that can be used remotely to pinpoint them. The only way I can see this working is with a neural net and even then I don't even know what it would be doing and given the complexity of the task, I imagine it would still throw false positives/negatives even after extensive training.

 

[pookie101]

well im all for creating genetic monsters.

however a better choice would be a device set up to release carbon dioxide,as well as Ethyl pyruvate or cyclopentanone which would attract mosquitoes to a trap which could say electrocute the bastards, or stick them to something.

theoretically a flytrap try plant designed to release those chemicals would work and provide a pleasant fruity or minty odur

 

[Mechamorph]

I am a biologist and in the first place, this plant would be completely unviable as an organism. For one most of the compounds that attract mosquitoes in humans have no analogue in plants so you would need entire whole metabolic pathways and, more importantly, nutritional pathways to even create such things let alone have mechanisms to secrete them. Secondly these plants would not be very efficient at photosynthesis, the Venus Flytrap succeeds because it colonizes a specialized niche. Thus it would be out competed by most natural plants in short order in most areas. Thirdly there are far more efficient methods that have already been discussed. Fourthly each leaf takes quite some time to digest an insect so each plant pretty much has a very limited capacity per day and is not too efficient.

As for tiny deathbots to kill mosquitoes, so that we can complete science fiction's main terrestrial culprits for the extinction of the human race, that would be quite expensive to build, more expensive to maintain and would by necessity have limited range due to limitations in either its payload or its sensor package. Not terribly practical as a long term solution. You might as well build tiny drones as mosquito interceptors while you are at it if you are willing to throw that much money down a pit.

 

[Kolby Jack]

Those are bullets, designed to shoot missiles. Lasers are not bullets. Mosquitoes are not missiles. And the military always overpays for everything.

I don't mean failing to hit the target, I mean engaging things that weren't targets to begin with. Sticking zillions of automated lasers powerful enough to kill small insects around will end badly.

Again... how?! You really aren't thinking this through logically. You aren't saying anything backed by evidence or reason, you just keep saying it will end badly. Please tell me how you think a computer would mistake anything else for a mosquito.

How would a computer recognise a mosquito is a better question? Image recognition is and has always been a VERY HARD problem in computer science. Mosquitoes don't really emit that many recognisable signals that can be used remotely to pinpoint them. The only way I can see this working is with a neural net and even then I don't even know what it would be doing and given the complexity of the task, I imagine it would still throw false positives/negatives even after extensive training.

The device works by using infra-red light-emitting diode (LED) lamps on a fence post to create a field of light. This field of light reflects from retroreflective material on another fence post, much like that used on roads and highway signs, and bounces back to its source.[2] This field of light is monitored by charge-coupled devices (CCDs) similar to the ones used in consumer digital cameras.[11] These cameras are situated on both fence posts and detect shadows in the light between the posts. Once an insect is detected, a non-lethal laser is fired at it. This non-lethal laser is used to determine the size of the insect, and the frequency at which its wings are beating.

The information gathered by the non-lethal laser can be used to determine the type of insect, and even its gender because wing beat patterns are unique to each species and gender. This is important in preventing malaria because only female mosquitoes bite humans.[2] Also, only mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles carry the malaria-causing parasite of the genus plasmodium.[12] All of these determining calculations are done using a custom image processing board[8] using software written specifically for this application. Once the software confirms that the insect is of the targeted species and gender, a safety check makes sure that nothing is in the way of the laser and the mosquito. Once this safety check is completed, the lethal laser is given permission to shoot.

So far it has only been tested in lab settings, but it's promising. The only thing critics have to say against it right now is a) the lab-only testing so far, and b) malaria stricken areas not having access to reliable electricity. But that's not a problem here in America.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

Those are bullets, designed to shoot missiles. Lasers are not bullets. Mosquitoes are not missiles. And the military always overpays for everything.

I don't mean failing to hit the target, I mean engaging things that weren't targets to begin with. Sticking zillions of automated lasers powerful enough to kill small insects around will end badly.

Again... how?! You really aren't thinking this through logically. You aren't saying anything backed by evidence or reason, you just keep saying it will end badly. Please tell me how you think a computer would mistake anything else for a mosquito.

How would a computer recognise a mosquito is a better question? Image recognition is and has always been a VERY HARD problem in computer science. Mosquitoes don't really emit that many recognisable signals that can be used remotely to pinpoint them. The only way I can see this working is with a neural net and even then I don't even know what it would be doing and given the complexity of the task, I imagine it would still throw false positives/negatives even after extensive training.

The device works by using infra-red light-emitting diode (LED) lamps on a fence post to create a field of light. This field of light reflects from retroreflective material on another fence post, much like that used on roads and highway signs, and bounces back to its source.[2] This field of light is monitored by charge-coupled devices (CCDs) similar to the ones used in consumer digital cameras.[11] These cameras are situated on both fence posts and detect shadows in the light between the posts. Once an insect is detected, a non-lethal laser is fired at it. This non-lethal laser is used to determine the size of the insect, and the frequency at which its wings are beating.

The information gathered by the non-lethal laser can be used to determine the type of insect, and even its gender because wing beat patterns are unique to each species and gender. This is important in preventing malaria because only female mosquitoes bite humans.[2] Also, only mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles carry the malaria-causing parasite of the genus plasmodium.[12] All of these determining calculations are done using a custom image processing board[8] using software written specifically for this application. Once the software confirms that the insect is of the targeted species and gender, a safety check makes sure that nothing is in the way of the laser and the mosquito. Once this safety check is completed, the lethal laser is given permission to shoot.

So far it has only been tested in lab settings, but it's promising. The only thing critics have to say against it right now is a) the lab-only testing so far, and b) malaria stricken areas not having access to reliable electricity. But that's not a problem here in America.

The idea of trying to create numerous weapons to combat them is far more absurd than just genetically modifying them to be harmless to humans. They keep their purpose in the eco system and just no longer pose a threat to humans if properly implemented and far easier to do. Most mosquitoes are harmless to humans anyhow, this would just make them all harmless.

 

[Kolby Jack]

The idea of trying to create numerous weapons to combat them is far more absurd than just genetically modifying them to be harmless to humans. They keep their purpose in the eco system and just no longer pose a threat to humans if properly implemented and far easier to do. Most mosquitoes are harmless to humans anyhow, this would just make them all harmless.

My original point was that lasers are cool. Certainly cooler than genetic modification (barring giant monsters or superpowers).

And it says in those articles you posted that genetic modification doesn't guarantee malaria won't be transferred. So obviously other measures will need to be taken alongside it to give it the best possible chance. So yeah, multiple "weapons" are absolutely necessary if we want to eliminate the problem. There's no one solution that works all the time.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

The idea of trying to create numerous weapons to combat them is far more absurd than just genetically modifying them to be harmless to humans. They keep their purpose in the eco system and just no longer pose a threat to humans if properly implemented and far easier to do. Most mosquitoes are harmless to humans anyhow, this would just make them all harmless.

My original point was that lasers are cool. Certainly cooler than genetic modification (barring giant monsters or superpowers).

And it says in those articles you posted that genetic modification doesn't guarantee malaria won't be transferred. So obviously other measures will need to be taken alongside it to give it the best possible chance. So yeah, multiple "weapons" are absolutely necessary if we want to eliminate the problem. There's no one solution that works all the time.

Neither freakish lasers or perfectly reasonable genetic modification will be able to guarantee that malaria won't be transferred, however, we are able to actually impact the mutation rate through genetic modification and we are unable to do so via other weapons used. Anything you introduce, whether it is lasers, pesticides, or sticky tape has the ability to impact their evolutionary process without any real way to slow their mutation rate. Life is so amazing, you very well could wind up with pesticide, sticky tape laser resistant mosquitoes in the future. Yes it is remotely possible ( though very very unlikely) that nature could find a way to mutate against the safeguards we put in place to prevent mutation of the genetic modifications, but that is also something we would likely notice through monitoring and be able to also further genetically modify to combat.

(BTW I LOVE freaky lights. Just because I don't think they should be used against mosquitoes doesn't mean that I dont want them in my living room as art and entertainment.)

 

[DoPo]

you very well could wind up with pesticide, sticky tape laser resistant mosquitoes in the future.

For some reason a sticky tape resistant mosquito sounds like the scariest thing out of these.

Maybe it's because I can somehow justify the other two as plausible, even if unlikely, but that one seems to imply that mosquitoes will have finally loosened the grip that physics has on them and started evolving beyond it. And that itself is just a step away from them becoming completely silent - no more buzzing as they don't need to "fly" - they will just glide through space and time having thrown thrown away the shackles of the laws of reality.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

you very well could wind up with pesticide, sticky tape laser resistant mosquitoes in the future.

For some reason a sticky tape resistant mosquito sounds like the scariest thing out of these.

Maybe it's because I can somehow justify the other two as plausible, even if unlikely, but that one seems to imply that mosquitoes will have finally loosened the grip that physics has on them and started evolving beyond it. And that itself is just a step away from them becoming completely silent - no more buzzing as they don't need to "fly" - they will just glide through space and time having thrown thrown away the shackles of the laws of reality.

Nightmares about sticky tape resistant mosquitoes.. that will beat the giant alligator scifi flick. Haha! Though rather than defying the laws of physics, they could simply start to excrete a lubricant or substance that renders the sticky tape ineffective so they no longer stick to it or they very well could evolve to eject whatever limb gets stuck to it and regrow it.

 

[Xprimentyl]

My apologies because I'm going to skip right past all of these lengthy, cogent, morally ethical and far-thinking posts which are likely accounting for the entomological/ecological implications of a mosquito mass extinction to say fuck mosquitos; kill them all. Come the first frost, I will walk outside naked, tower over all of their quivering, soon-to-be-lifeless corpses littered about the ground and sound a victory roar to be heard from heaven to hell and every place in between.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

Recusant has a rather good point about the problem being location and development. The particular thing to consider is you're asking for an absurdly elaborate new solution to something we already know how to handle. An absurdly elaborate solution that I doubt an impoverished nation can afford compared to the already existing solutions that are solutions to broader problems anyways...

 

[DoPo]

you very well could wind up with pesticide, sticky tape laser resistant mosquitoes in the future.

For some reason a sticky tape resistant mosquito sounds like the scariest thing out of these.

Maybe it's because I can somehow justify the other two as plausible, even if unlikely, but that one seems to imply that mosquitoes will have finally loosened the grip that physics has on them and started evolving beyond it. And that itself is just a step away from them becoming completely silent - no more buzzing as they don't need to "fly" - they will just glide through space and time having thrown thrown away the shackles of the laws of reality.

Nightmares about sticky tape resistant mosquitoes.. that will beat the giant alligator scifi flick. Haha! Though rather than defying the laws of physics, they could simply start to excrete a lubricant or substance that renders the sticky tape ineffective so they no longer stick to it or they very well could evolve to eject whatever limb gets stuck to it and regrow it.

Ewww, that's not really better. Now I imagine them...moist. Slimy. Mucous, perhaps. I can just picture them like xenomorphs - dripping with stuff. Only they are tiny and there is no chest busting. Yet.