Google planning to release millions of mosquitoes into California to help stop diseases

Summary: Google is asking the government for permission to release up to 32 million special mosquitoes in California and Florida. This is part of a project to stop the spread of dangerous mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile virus, Zika, and Dengue.

Instead of regular bugs, Google plans to use artificial intelligence and robots to breed male mosquitoes infected with a natural bacteria called Wolbachia. When these special males mate with wild female mosquitoes, their eggs do not hatch. Over time, this causes the mosquito population to shrink. Because male mosquitoes do not bite humans, people will not get extra bug bites from this experiment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently reviewing the plan.

Source: rssapp-news-google-com-topics-caaqiqgkihtdqkftrgdvsuwymhznr3qwtlrfu0ftvnvlqufqaq URL: yahoo.com/news/science/articles/google-planning-release-millions-mosquitoes-030000684.html (opens in new tab)

Tags

Yellow Fever
Mosquito-Borne Diseases
Encephalitis, St. Louis
Disease
Fever
Dengue
Encephalitis
West Nile virus
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Wolbachia