Google is planning to release 32 million bioengineered mosquitoes in California and Florida, reports indicate.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the company aims to release 16 million mosquitoes the first year and another 16 million the second year. Citing information from a notice in the Federal Register, the report notes that the proposal is part of Google’s “Debug Project,” an effort seeking to eliminate disease-carrying mosquitoes.
“This notice announces EPA’s receipt of an application 92643–EUP–R from Google LLC, requesting an experimental use permit (EUP) for the Wolbachia pipientis wAlbB contained in live adult Culex quinquefasciatus male mosquitoes (DQB Strain),” the notice reads. “The Agency has determined that the permit may be of regional and national significance. Therefore, because of the potential significance, EPA is seeking comments on this application.”
“Why does Google have 32 million mosquitos? Have we not learned our lesson with Kudzu, Sparrows, Black Birds, Asian Carp? Should I go on? Don’t mess with the balance of nature,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said in response to the reports.
A similar initiative was underway last year, funded through the Gates Foundation. Researchers at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands used genetically modified mosquitoes to deliver malaria vaccines.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine detailed the process. Scientists modified malaria parasites to render them non-lethal while still stimulating the immune system. These modified parasites, named GA1 and GA2, were introduced into mosquitoes, which then vaccinated human participants by biting them in a controlled environment.
