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The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
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Get Rael-Science on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/raelscience
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US
scientists say they have bred a genetically modified (GM)
mosquito that can resist malaria infection.
If the lab technique works in the field, it
could offer a new way of stopping the biting insects from
spreading malaria to humans, they say.
The scientists put a new "resistance" gene
into the mosquito's own DNA, using a gene editing method called
Crispr.
And when the GM mosquitoes mated - their
offspring inherited the same resistance, PNAS journal reports.
In theory, if these mosquitoes bite people,
they should not be able to pass on the parasite that causes
malaria.
About 3.2bn people - almost half of the
world's population - are at risk of malaria.
Bed nets, insecticides and repellents can
help stop the insects biting and drugs can be given to anyone
who catches the infection, but the disease still kills around
580,000 people a year.
'Pivotal
role'
Scientists have been searching for new ways
to fight malaria.
The University of California team believe
their GM mosquito could play a pivotal role - breeding resistant
offspring to replace endemic, malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
They took a type of mosquito found in India
- Anopheles stephensi - on which to experiment.
Dr Anthony James and his team showed that
they could give the insect new DNA code to make it a poor host
for the malaria parasite.
The DNA, which codes for antibodies that
combat the parasite, was inherited by almost 100% of the
mosquito offspring and across three generations.
The researchers say the findings offer hope
that the same method could also work in other mosquito species.
Although it would not be a sole solution to
the malaria problem, it would be a useful additional weapon,
they say.
Prof David Conway, UK expert from the
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: "It's
not the finished product yet but it certainly looks promising.
It does look like the genetic editing works."
Other scientists have been looking at
genetically modifying mosquitoes to render them infertile, so
that they die out. But some experts fear that eliminating
mosquitoes entirely may have unforeseen and unwanted
consequences. Replacing disease-carrying mosquitoes with
harmless breeds is a potential alternative.
WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their
intelligence at its full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL"
on some articles does not mean that I agree with their content
or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe it is
important for the people of this planet to know about what
people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected
articles in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in
America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was
stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change
the weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of
drugs, anti-semitic, anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or
inciting hatred against any group or religion, or any other
stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It just
means that it is important for all human beings to know about
them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our
readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the
recent articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to
make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to
throw depressed and sad people (as only depressed and sad people
use drugs) in prison and ruin their life with a criminal record.
That does not mean that there is any change to the Message which
says clearly that we must not use any drug except for medical
purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which
must be absolute. That does not mean again of course that I
agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or
anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of
your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the
French philosopher Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you
say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
L'absence de virus dans ce courrier électronique a été vérifiée par le logiciel antivirus Avast.
www.avast.com