� Next-gen plant breeding | Main | from comedian Bill Hicks �
April 28, 2004
SIT applied to mosquitos
The IAEA is best known for its inspections of countries like Iran and Iraq, suspected of building atomic weapons. But the agency has already used its expertise to wipe out the dreaded tsetse fly, which can transmit fatal sleeping sickness, from the island of Zanzibar.
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is a simple idea. Scientists breed insects and expose the males to enough radiation to render them sterile. The males are then released into the environment to breed with the females, whose eggs are unfertilized and never hatch.
"The whole idea or concept is that the population would actually start to crash and eventually may actually lead to eradication of the insect, and therefore eradication of the disease and less malaria," said Knols, who has personally suffered nine bouts of malaria through working with mosquitoes.
Wired News: Nuke Mosquito, End Malaria?
Posted by thdyck on April 28, 2004
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