How to Build a Better Mosquito

Malaria, a disease that kills over a million people a year, might just have a potent new foe. A new insecticide, perhaps? Actually, just the opposite – a new mosquito:

The effort to eradicate one of the world’s deadliest diseases has received a significant but controversial boost with the creation of genetically modified mosquitoes that cannot pass on malaria.

Trials indicate the genetically modified mosquitoes could quickly establish themselves in the wild and drive out natural malaria-carrying insects, thereby breaking the route through which humans are infected.

Better living through science, folks. If you’d like to thank Prof. Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, the research team leader, for his excellent work, you can find his contact info here at the Johns Hopkins website.