This week you will either read or listen to (there is a spot on the website where you can listen to the article rather than reading it) about genetically modified mosquitoes.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/02/20/693735499/scientists-release-controversial-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-in-high-securit
According to the article, malaria kills over 400,000 people each year (mostly children). Over 200 million people get sick with malaria each year. The Target Malaria project which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is trying to eradicate Malaria. To learn more about the Target Malaria project, go to the link below:
https://targetmalaria.org/
Your assignment is to read or listen to the NPR article. Write a scholarly paragraph about what you think of the article. Is this a good idea? Why? Is it morally wrong to genetically engineer mosquitoes in a way that could bring an end to their species? Do you like the modification that insures that the mutation is passed on to offspring? Why is it okay to end malaria? Do ecosystems need mosquitoes? Are you in favor of or against eliminating this species? Also, please comment on at least one of your peer's posts. This is due by Friday, March 1st.
After reading this article on genetically modifying mosquitoes in order to get rid of malaria I think it is a good idea to put their species at risk if it means eradicating malaria and saving many lives. The modification that insures the offspring will also inherit the mutation is a smart idea in hopes of one day not having to worry about malaria at all. Although I am in favor of eliminating malaria I am not in favor of eliminating the whole mosquito species. Ecosystems need mosquitoes in order to keep the food chain running smoothly. If mosquitoes were eliminated, other species would then also start to die out. Overall, I believe it is a better idea to save human lives from malaria even if it means putting the mosquito species at risk.
ReplyDeleteI agree, we should value human lives over the mosquitoes who are causing malaria because it will make lives for people easier and healthier.
DeleteI agree we should put humans' lives over mosquitoes.
DeleteI agree with what you said, and I also think we should concentrate on helping the human lives verses the mosquito lives.
DeleteI agree with Danny, it makes more sense to prioritize human lives over mosquitoes
DeleteI agree with your opinion to an extent.
DeleteThe article suggests that mosquitoes should be genetically modified to get rid of malaria. I feel that is is a good idea that would effectively help lots of people who are in harms way of getting malaria. Malaria is a deadly virus that has affected many people and by people being able to stop this, is something huge. The ecosystem does need mosquitoes and by getting rid of the whole species, that would end up by affecting the ecosystem. If mosquitoes were to die overall, then other species would die because they wouldn't have a source of food. In the end, I believe that by modifying mosquitoes and getting rid of malaria is an incredible idea that could save many peoples lives.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, this would be an amazing idea that would save many lifes.
DeleteI agree that it would be a good idea to genetically modify mosquitoes to get rid of malaria but it could have severe consequences on the ecosystem to get rid of them completely.
DeleteI think it’s a good idea to do this genetic mutation in order to wipe out the malaria species of mosquitoes. It’s not morally wrong because nobody likes mosquitoes. Also eradicating just the malaria species won’t affect other things because there are over 100 different species. I think the mutation being spread through reproduction is clever but I thought the mutation didn’t allow for reproduction in the first place. I think eradicating malaria would be great because it is affecting people who can’t really escape it and it affects ⅔ of the world population. Mosquitoes are important, however, for pollination. I thought that other insects could pick up the slack that the mosquitoes would leave behind but i'm not so sure. I am only in favor of this mutation in only the species that spreads malaria.
ReplyDeleteI agree, we shouldn't modify every species that causes a problem only one's like this where it's a very big problem
DeleteAfter listening to this article about genetically modifying mosquitoes I think this is a good idea because by these mutations it could help eradicate malaria and save thousands of lives each year including a large amount of young children who spend a great amount of time outside in the summer months.It is not morally wrong because they are using a very high tech lab with high tech materials to test these mutations and experiments. As well, they are not harming all mosquitoes, they are taking a small amount to test the results on different mosquitoes who might act differently to the mutations. Although, I am not very fond of mosquitoes and the hundreds of bug bites I get each year I do not think the whole species should be eliminated because our ecosystems need them to keep our food chains in order and keep other species from being eliminated. I am in favor of eliminating malaria because of the harm it could do as long as that is done in a way that does not harm our mosquitoes. This mutation could also insure that offspring in the future would have no chance of catching the malaria virus making it easier and safer for children and eliminating those fears from parents minds. In all, human lives should be valued and cared for before mosquitoes.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, not having the threat of malaria would create major relief, especially for parents.
DeleteI agree, nice paragraph
ReplyDeleteas for mosquitoes themselves, I have an extreme deep-rooted hatred for these animals, and they can suffer for all I care. however, my opinion is biased. as for the experimentation, I do believe it to be a double edged sword. On one hand, the elimination of a great population of mosquitoes could eradicate or at the least dampen many diseases such as malaria. On the other hand, the changing of genes could backfire. It could affect many animal's food sources, it could spread to other insects, it could form immunities for the mosquitoes, etc. With all of these factors in mind, I think that the positives of suppressing Zika and Malaria completely outweigh the current consequences. Still, scientists should try to prevent as many issues as possible. In terms of morality, I think it is extremely unfair that we as humans play god at times like this, but we've done it for hundreds of years; its just another brick in the wall.
ReplyDeletevery well-written, i agree
DeleteAfter reading this, I think it's a good idea to genetically modify these mosquitoes because of all the harm they have caused. I feel that it's not morally wrong because you're saving lives by making sure people won't contract these diseases from them. This mutation that will be passed on to their offspring will be good because malaria is a terrible disease that affects roughly two-thirds of the population today and kills about 400,000 people a year. Even though some ecosystems might be harmed from the lack of mosquitoes, this modification added will save the people of the world. People's lives should be valued over the lives of mosquitoes and i wouldn't mind if their species was eradicated from the wild because of all the disaster and harm they bring.
ReplyDeleteNice, I agree with your paragraph
DeleteI think that this is morally correct, as mosquitoes rarely contribute anything to the environment and harm humans quite a bit. While I do believe that this could spiral out of control to kill other spaces, using this to kill mosquitoes,in my opinion, is not morally wrong. It's okay to end malaria as it kills many many humans every year, and bad diseases are constantly eradicated through the use of vaccines and antibiotics. As female mosquitoes simply suck animals blood, male mosquitoes consume other bugs and help control overpopulation, as they are not totally necessary for the ecosystem, they do aid it. I am in favor of ending this species as it rarely contributes to the enviroment.
ReplyDeleteI agree that any creature that harms humans should be promptly disposed of.
DeleteI Think it could be a really good idea to genetically modify mosquitoes to get rid of malaria and as a result, save thousands of lives. Genetically modifying mosquitoes, as the article described, could get rid of malaria. However, it is important to think of the possible consequences of such a dramatic change or extinction of a species. If something were to go wrong, the results could be irreversible and possibly dangerous for not just mosquitoes but other organisms as well. For example, it could affect other organisms of the food chain that benefit from mosquitoes. Aside from this, it is a good idea. If scientists genetically modified mosquitoes to not pass malaria, it would be important for them to pass that mutation to offspring so it permanently affects all of mosquitoes. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time to create. Overall, I think it is a good idea to get rid of malaria but it could be bad to get rid of mosquitoes all together with. (as annoying as they are)
ReplyDeleteI agree,the modification is a good idea but could result into some consequences.
DeleteNicely written paragraph. I agree!
DeleteI agree how there are both positives and negatives, nice paragraph.
DeleteVery well written with a counter-argument!
DeleteAfter listening to this article about genetically modifying mosquitoes I have an opinion for both sides. Although mosquitoes can be very annoying, eliminating them all the way would hurt the food chain. Many animals rely of that food source and without the mosquitoes, we can negatively effect other animal chains. On the other hand though, mosquitoes are carrying Malaria which is putting many human lives at risk which is a terrible thing. All in all, both sides are negatively effecting our world in different ways.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, I have an opinion for both sides because this is a topic that really needs to be debated.
DeleteAs I listened to the story I thought about if it was right to genetically modify mosquitoes, and I decided that its not right but there are factors that benefit us if we do it. of course our main focus is to save lives and not mess with the food chains,but this only solves one and if this were to be implemented it could take out a whole species and could also affect other species as well. Most people present the argument of that nobody likes them and trust me I don't either but we need to take a step back and not just go blindly into this. On the other hand it could save many lives that are lost to an unfortunate mosquito bite. All in all I think its a good idea but needs to be researched much more before it be implemented into the actual world.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article I think that these people are definitely doing the right thing, saving children's lives are definitely worth getting rid of mosquitoes because the only thing they do is serve as partial food to some animals that eat other things then mosquitoes and also annoy everyone. Malaria is a very fatal disease that kills tons of people a year, i don't think a lot of people will oppose against them.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a very good idea to genetically modify mosquitoes. Making the mosquito's incapable of biting will ensure that no one gets malaria. Also the gene is passed down to the offspring, so that new mosquito generations will also have this mutation. It may seem wrong to genetically modify mosquito's, but human lives are more important than insects. It seems as though they do nothing to balance the ecosystem, and their soul purpose is to bite us. Because of this I am for the experiment, even if it kills the mosquito population.
ReplyDeleteAfter having read the article, in my opinion I believe that genetically modifying mosquitoes in order to eradicate malaria is a good idea. Malaria is a severe and deadly disease, so I think if there is a way to get rid of it, that we should. I don't think that it is morally wrong to do; however, I do believe we need to be aware of the consequences that could arise. Possibly ending their species could have a large effect in the ecosystem, as it could be a loss of food source for other organisms. I think that the mutation being passed onto the offspring is a good idea, since it would be the most effective in having the elimination of malaria become a reality. Of course, we would need to be sure that this is safe and effective, but this is what scientists are trying to figure out. So if they do find that this modification is both safe and effective, I say go for it. Even though it could result to the end of the mosquitoes species, I think that the ending of malaria is more important and is worth the risk.
ReplyDeleteI agree, mosquitoes are a good way to stop malaria from killing thousands of people.
DeletePost reading this article, I believe it is a good idea to genetically modify mosquitoes because of how harmful they are.
ReplyDeleteMorally I don't think it's wrong because it would be saving human lives from a rough death from a contracted disease. This mutation would be passed on and personally I think that's a good thing because malaria kills so many people annually. Humans should be seen as more important than this bug even if it impacts the ecosystem. No matter what, both ways we get a negative impact in a different way but we have to prioritize.
After reading this paragraph, I think it is a good idea to eliminate mosquitoes for it could save many lives that would otherwise be lost to malaria. Personally, I think it’s morally okay for this to be done for it won’t massively impact the environment. Yes, many organisms feed off of mosquitoes, but they are not their only food source and other organisms could be eaten to fill that gap. I think it’s smart that it insures that the mutation will be passed onto offspring for then it stops the mosquito population from growing. It is okay to end malaria for it has caused so many deaths and the world could do without it. Overall, I am in favor of eliminating mosquitoes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your paragraph.
Deletenicely written paragraph!
DeleteWe all dread the time of summer when it seems like you’re getting bit by mosquitoes 24/7, but is it really a good idea to eliminate them completely from society? As I read the article it seems like this very controversial topic could go either way. As I’ve read into it, preventing the malaria disease seems like a good idea. According to the article, malaria affects ⅔’s of the world’s population and sadly it’s mostly children. While using the gene drive could defeat malaria, it could also go just the opposite way. Did the scientists think about what would ever happen if the gene drive didn’t go as planned? What would happen if instead of eliminating malaria by sterilizing the females, the disease continues to spread throughout the world. I would hate to think that later in the future that instead of a fearful thing like pollution poisoning the air or another disease ruining the Earth that malaria is the disease that will start killing everyone. It is however good that scientists are starting this process now because most people won’t take action against problems like this and others until they directly affect themselves. In conclusion, I am for this process about getting rid of malaria disease through GMO’s.
ReplyDeleteNice paragraph! I totally agree!
DeleteI feel as though it would be great idea to genetically modify mosquitoes,and possibly get rid of malaria. Although many people despise mosquitoes they are crucial to the food web. Although it is very good for the possibility of removing malaria from mosquitoes. Overall there are positives and negatives,and to make genetically modified mosquitoes we need to take in both the good and bad.
ReplyDeleteI believe that these new mosquitos should be released so they can unknowingly end their species and with it the annoyances that come along with summer. I do not believe it is morally incorrect to terminate a species that has kills nearly half a million people a year. Any animal or species that kills large amounts of human beings should be terminated, as human life is more valuable than theirs. the modification is hereditary which allows for faster termination but can also lead to issues, like other species not accommodating well to the change in ecosystem and dying out as a result.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree!
DeleteI believe that every fish in the sea, every rabbit, every elephant, and every blade of grass under our feet is made for a reason. What that reason is, i'm not sure, and we as humans might never know, as we have been posing this questions for centuries. What we do know, however, is that each an every living thing eats and gets eaten, in one was or another that living specimens energy will be used and passed on to others. Mosquitoes are no exception to this rule and though this article is convincing, I do not believe that eradicating the species all together is right, no matter how annoying or harmful they can be. I believe there must be a way to safely eliminate Malaria as well as any other harmful traits mosquitoes can carry.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I totally agree. We may not know why we are all here together but there is a reason, so i feel we shouldn't mess with the mosquitoes.
DeleteI agree. Love how you introduced this topic at the beginning of the paragraph.
Delete100% agree with you
DeleteAfter reading the article, I think that the genetically engineered mosquitoes are a good idea but should be used with caution. I feel like they shouldn't release the mosquitoes unless they know that they are safe and won't kill all the mosquitoes. It is morally wrong to bring a genetically engineered species but as technology advances things like this are going to happen. The modification that insures that the mutation is passed on to offspring is smart but I feel like there will be complications along the way. It's okay to end malaria due to the fact that it kills so many people but the ecosystem need mosquitoes to pollinate plants. Overall, I believe that eliminating malaria from killing people and modified mosquitoes are a good way of saving people.
ReplyDeleteI obviously think that the underlying ides of eliminating malaria is good but I don’t stand by the process of genetic engineering. No matter how good the cause that it is being used for may be, if the government permits genetic engineered species into the environment it would just be a matter of time before it went too far. As much as I hate mosquitos, I believe it is wrong to genetically engineer ANY species. If I don’t stand by genetic engineering in the first place, then don’t like that the mutation is passed to the offspring. I believe that we can find the right way to cure malaria without having to alter a species’ genetics. There are evidently scientists who are smart enough to change someone’s fundamental characteristics in the form of DNA so there must be a better way of going about finding a cure. However, I don’t think ecosystems are reliant on mosquitoes. A world without mosquitoes would be undoubtedly more convenient but it would decrease biodiversity. Also, the consequences are unprecedented but expected to even be fatal. If publicly using this technology becomes legal and widespread it can easily fall into the hands of a person without good intentions. What would happen if it's eventually legal to change the defining traits of an organism?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, it helped me look at the other side of how changing mosquitoes can exactly be positive. Personally, I believe we are all hear for a reason. No matter what harm we cause others, we are suppose to be hear. Imagine another species trying to extinct us? How would we feel? I understand why we are doing this. Malaria is every harmful to us humans but ending ones life for i don't believe. We might not know what yet, but i'm sure there is another solution to this conflict. IDK if they are needed by the ecosystems, but if they are fine now, let them continue to be free. Over all I can seethe great benefits that this could help us with be I feel there could be a better decision.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. They're definitely better ways of doing this. Using the ends to justify the means.
DeleteI think that this could potentially be a good idea. I like the concept of getting rid of mosquitoes because then malaria would be gone, and wouldn't sicken or kill people anymore, but I also feel like this could have a lot of downsides. We actually don't know what could happen to really anything if these mosquitoes were released. I also feel like we need to move a little slower with trying to release them because like I said before, we don't know what's going to happen even if it is positive. I feel like they need to take more tests and experiments, to at least get a little more information. I don't think it's morally wrong to have mosquitoes eliminate themselves because honestly, they suck like nobody likes them, so if having them eliminate their own species is the easiest and fastest way, then why not.
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with what you said, well put! I don't see many downsides to this, but it's definitely better to be safe than sorry. Also I died at the "Honestly, they suck like nobody likes them" lol
DeleteI personally believe that these aspects of nature shouldn't be modified and nature should be kept natural. The article does bring good reasons in which these modifications should be happening, however there could always be something that goes wrong when you're dealing with an issue as serious as this and could potentially make it worse. This is why I believe that these modifications should not be made to the mosquitoes.
ReplyDeleteThis is true, we can't possibly know of all the things that could go wrong with this.
DeleteAfter listening to the article, I feel that it is okay to eliminate mosquitoes. Although, I do believe that every thing on earth is here for a reason, mosquitoes are the only exception. Mosquitoes provide no help to anything. Human life is more valuable than some pesky bugs. I think that the modification will last because it is hereditary the only problem is that it is possible for some mosquitoes to not be affected and they will be the hardest to kill.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, I think that this is a good idea. Genetically modifying the mosquitoes will not cause harm, because there is so many other species of these investing creatures. This action might also put an end to the devastating Malaria, killing many innocent human beings. By releasing the mosquitoes, many lives could be saved, therefore I think this is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the whole point of this project is for a good cause, the negative affects could really influence into something harmful. I dont really know anything about mosquitoes but I do know that they are beneficial to this world. Malaria has been around for so long that I understand why people want to find a cure right away but when need to realize how this whole thing could go wrong. I dont fully agree to do this project and I think we should find a safer alternative.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, I am ok with mosquitoes being genetically modified. From this article I learned that millions of people are affected by mosquito diesises like malaria. Adding this genetic modification to mosquitoes will eventually help millions around the world.
ReplyDeleteI’m not really for or against the idea of eradicating malaria mosquitoes. On one hand getting rid of malaria would save thousands of lives, and there are many more mosquitoes species exist. That raises the question of how many of those mosquitoes live in Sub-Saharan Africa, and would those species be able to fulfill the role malaria mosquitoes had. I think it is morally right to do this. The method is humain by just making them infertile not poisoning them or anything like that, and it will save many human lives. There are better ways to go about saving those lives. The article says malaria is preventable and treatable. A better course of action would be research into treatment and vaccines into the disease instead of dealing with the risks of wiping out a species.
ReplyDeleteI really do hate mosquitoes so I think that this is a good idea. In my opinion I think that there are many pros but also some cons. Yes the genetically engineered mosquitoes is going to help with people to stop the spread of malaria. But it also can cause some harm to the environment and in my eyes i see it as either save the mosquitoes or save the humans. I think that the mosquitoes are a part of our ecosystems. Some animals eat mosquitoes and if we eliminated their food, there would be a decline in those animals as well. I feel like I am in the middle between being in favor and being against. Obviously there has to be more testing because this idea won’t just become big right away.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, I think that genetically modifying mosquitoes is a good idea because it could prevent Malaria from spreading. This will help millions of people in the world and will advance us one step further in science.
ReplyDeleteI personally have a fairly severe reaction to mosquito bites. I would love to live in a world were they no longer existed and the threat of malaria is eradicated. It is a terrible disease and the world would be better off without it. But, because of the speed with which this solution is being approached there are a surplus of variables that cannot be predicted. I think that we should conduct more tests before releasing the genetically modified mosquitoes to be sure that they will not cause any major disturbances in the ecosystem.
ReplyDeleteI think genetically modifying mosquitoes to prevent deadly diseases from spreading is an awesome idea. I can’t think of one positive impact mosquitoes have on the world anyway other than maybe some food for a few animals. They literally just float around, make us itchy, and spread diseases. It is a bit wrong to completely wipe out a species, especially because they mean no harm and are just trying to reproduce, but they are annoying and deadly and I’m pretty sure they don’t feel emotions. I think that it’s really cool how scientists are doing it by making it a gene that will get passed down and basically over time make it impossible to not have it. Of course (and not to be morbid), to some extent it’s necessary to have diseases like malaria because the earth is overpopulating, but death is sad and mosquitoes are horrible so I’m all for it. Like I said earlier, mosquitoes do nothing helpful for the world other than provide a bit of food for other animals, and I think that the other animals eat enough other things to the point that the absence of mosquitoes wouldn’t spiral out of control and cause half the planet to go extinct.
ReplyDeleteI see how malaria is a horrible disease. There are still so many things that could still happen in the environments that the genetically modified mosquitoes are released in that scientists would never predict. For example,what if something in the mosquito that were created in a lab was poisonous to the bats that eat them. that could cause a huge disruption in the food chain. At this point scientists have made it this far and I believe that with time, they will find an even better option that will help prevent a deadly disease an not disrupt the food chain.
ReplyDelete