Controversial GMO Mosquito

Mosquitoes....we love to hate them.  In fact one good thing about all this cold weather is that we don't have to worry about mosquitoes at all.  However, last week mosquitoes were definitely in the news. 

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.

The Innocence Project

Last week on the blog, I had you think about DNA testing and how the FBI used companies like Family Tree in order to identify criminals.  This week we are going to look at DNA in a different light.

Watch the two videos below about the Innocence Project:

Two years ago when I taught Forensics here at Central, I brought in a guest speaker, Angel Gonzalez.  Angel Gonzalez spent over 20 years in prison here in Illinois for a crime he did not commit.  While many of you were definitely against DNA testing in the first blog post, what do you think now?  Check out the Innocence Project website.  I am going to give you the link to Angel Gonzalez's profile, but look around.

https://www.innocenceproject.org/cases/angel-gonzalez/

Your assignment this week is to write another paragraph about DNA being used to exonerate people who have been sent to prison for crimes they did not commit.  In class I will tell you about what I learned when I dealt with the Innocence Project.  Does this make you think differently about DNA testing?  Are you in favor of DNA testing if it would prove someone innocent?  Can you think of a very famous criminal case that was one of the first highly publicized cases using DNA evidence?  Do a little research.  What is a high-profile case where DNA testing was essential?  Would you want to work for the Innocence Project?  If you were wrongly convicted, would you be able to forgive the system that wronged you?  Please make sure your paragraph is thoughtful and at least 5 sentences long.