BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | GM mosquito 'could fight malaria'
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11 comments:
I saw this on CNN's website today. I understand the reasoning behind trying to keep the mosquitos from spreading malaria but have a huge problem with humans messing with nature in this way. While it is horrible that so many people die from malaria every year but disease is nature's way of "thinning the herd" for lack of a better expression. If it wasn't for malaria, influenza, cancer, etc, fewer people would die each year. And while we think our population is out of control now, just think how bad it would be without the impact of disease. That's not even taking into consideration the drain on our natural resources and the environmental impact. Its unimaginable... And before anyone reads this and decides to have a go at me, you're probably right - I would likely have a very different view if it was myself or a close loved one who was a victim of the dreaded mosquito (or other killer disease).
Sorry, got off on a rant there...
I agree with Karen. There is something deeply disturbing about this. I can see vaccines, but messing around with genetics like that seems so wrong. Still, it's fascinating.
Nature is the best genetically modifying force. People with sickle cell anemia don't get malaria...let's leave it to nature....
we naturally select all the time...
...us changing mosquitos? WRONG!!!
Sorry, can't let this one pass. Although I can't embrace or support such a major genetic modification onto a wide geographic area as a method to eradicate a disease, I have to take issue with what seems to me to be some implication that nature is just fine taking its little course among those folks in hotter climates, or that population control is best served in parts of the world that seem unconnected to our immediate families.
We do not naturally select all the time. That process does not apply to human agency or public health.
l.m. let me try putting it this way...too many times we have altered or stepped into situations thinking we are doing something good and helpful:like putting out forest fires.
We used to put out forest fires until someone figured out that pine cones need to be hitting extreme heat for becoming active seeds for regrowth of the forest.
Although I don't feel as concerned about population growth as Karen does, in fact, my issue is quite different...except the same conclusion.
We didn't understand sickle cell anemia for years...until we found out that it most people with sickle cell anemia don't get malaria.
L.M. my concern is that too many times we think we know everything and can pop in and fix things...when really leaving things alone, and I mean geneticically or with well intentioned but ignorant ideas of "control" has done more harm.
We were much healthier animals with different and less disease spread before we started modifying food by growing it ourselves (farming).
There are endless examples of us intervening genetically, or intorducing plant and animal species to areas and totally making huge repercussions and mistakes.
I DO BELIEVE IN RED CHRYSTAL INTERVENTION and medical aid and food aid etc etc and treatment forcancer. I don't see disease as something we endure for population growth. In fact, food source is the main component for population growth. The more food the more life forms. (human or other animals).
So I do agree that human agency and public health are compassionate and moral issues, absolutely. I did not mean to suggestthat they weren't.
But....as for natural selectioneverything we do, every decision we make is all rooted in natural selection which has an agency so removed from our social constructs we don't recognize it...and it can happen overnight. (punctuated equilibrium) and it would take too long for me to defend the idea that even compassion is a factor of human/animals/natures natural selection, I better leave that for another time heh heh!
I reject genetically modifying mosquitos still.
peace out
Candy
I agree with your conclusion and stand on the genetic modification issue, Candy, but I still question the natural selection reference. Even the theory of punctuated equilibrium requires a large time span with little or no evolution between punctuation marks in development. (leading me to the question of who has to wait for what even though I have eyeglasses to correct my vision and antibiotics to cure my infections, yuck) An interesting aspect of the Darwinian theory is the rejection of the idea of "progress", difference and diversity is more the observed rule. Therefore, I'd argue that progress and I mean it in this case as the desire to improve general health of others, is within the domain of human action. We have constructed a moral ethical and for some religious framework that other life forms don't seem to need in order to survive, is it all organic? Not sure yet. (like anyone ever will be)
Interestingly, I am reading a history of Infinity where the writer talks about things we know and things we "know". (sort of trying to differentiate between concrete and abstract thought) He mentions that he "knows" that his love for his family is perhaps a gambit of evolutionary theory, but that is different from the experience of him knowing he loves his family.
(but then all these arguments still rest on the idea that it is better for me and other people, not so great for the mosquitoes, not that I have a problem with that as I hate mosquitoes and parrots with equal fervour. And perhaps natural selection is leading to mosquitoes eventual domination, so should we really get behind that, although a Buddhist would and they are very nice people. ....slipping ....slipping ....down the slippery slope)
I should add that the progress idea behind natural selection came from the French scientist, Lamark (who actually came up with natural selection, prior to Darwin). He saw evolution as a trajectory towards perfectibility, that perfectibility was the driving force of all organic change. Darwin and the scientists who continue the work strongly state that many selections are not advantageous to the species: things don't necessarily get better automatically, natural selection is blind and considered nothing more than an inheritance of lucky mistakes.
Lamarck, now spelled right.
Well, L.M. maybe I shouldn't have brought the idea of natural selection into this situation. I was reaching for a metaphor on our comprehension more than anything. I have more faith in nature than I do in our intervening with it especially with the idea of "stardship". I am dead against this notion and find it a human arrgoance.
I also don't believe in "ptogress". I think the notion of progress is laughable.
I am willing to let go of the natural selection aspect of things for this...as my more important point is...let's leave things be. I also do not support vivesection. I am grateful for what we have learned from experiemnting on animal, yes...but I think we need to find other ways to aid human existence. For centuries herbal and "folk medicine" (another arrogant term) has aided with our health and well being.
The major source of over-population...in response to Karen's comment is ironically more food. The more food animals have, the larger their population growths.
Most of our diseases are from living too close to domesticated animals and we should look backwards rather than forwards for assistance in helping our challenges of health. We need to resource other ways of making a living rather than leaning on totalitarian agriculture. continuing genetic modifications should not be a part of our future, it's likely it won't be the way to solve health and political unrest.
Enjoyed reading your comments very much L.M. great stuff!
Candy
Ha ha! The feeling is mutual, though I have to admit I really had a bee in my bonnet about Darwin yesterday, on another site someone posted a quote from Umberto Eco stating that "Creativity can only be anarchic, capitalist, Darwinian". (I kinda went a little bonkers over that one)
You've probably already read this, Candy, but if not, check out "Guns Germs & Steel" by Jared Diamond. He attempts to trace the geographical and climactic factors that go into the historical distributions of wealth, development and technology.
Also an amazing article about ongoing western collusion in African poverty was published a while ago in the Walrus, it does touch upon the spread of disease due to new urban overcrowding without civic infastructures.
The other thing that occured to me about this type of proposed large scale genetic modification is the hidden agendas for research of this type. I don't buy the "we can eradicate malaria" as the sole motive, it might just be serving as a trojan horse for a number of experiments on an unheard of scale (in countries with populations less likely to litigate).
L.M. I've been dedicated to the study of farming, economy and the reasons for our habits all my life. I have most definately read Jared Diamonds Guns, Germs and Steel...a couple of times. And his book Collapse. I would add also relevant, Cohen's Health and the Rise of Civilization...and The Other Side of Eden:Hunters Farmers and the Shaping of the World by Canadian Hugh Brody.
I get worked up about Darwin all the time, ha ha. Umberto Eco may be an interesting novelist, but I also think he's a bit of a dink philosophically. Besides, even long winded Thomas Pynchon covered the ideas in Foucault's Pendulum much better at a third of the length! Umberto Eco has his head up...well you know.
I don't want anyone to die of malaria...but I feel we build up resisitance all the time from disease...the idea of eradicating disease is scary too. It's like all that hogwash about soap being "anti-bacterial" and all the packaging...ALL soap is anti-bacterial...and sometimes the bacteria we want to get rid of is also helping us.
I feel people should stop doing almost everything for a few years and let the world catch up and ourselves catch up by adoating our behaviours more suited to the world and nature. Just check it out for awhile...
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