Scientists have come up with a way of wiping out mosquito populations through gene editing. This would be especially useful in Africa, where insecticide-resistant mosquitoes are causing millions of deaths through malaria.

The scientists would like to do a trial release to demonstrate effectiveness, but are meeting resistance because many believe mosquitoes are an essential part of the natural environment, and wiping them out might cause unforeseen disasters.

Well, mosquitoes are an introduced species here in Hawaii, and have no essential role in the environment, although they do cause a number of diseases like dengue. Added to that, Hawaii is a contained, isolated ecology where a release would cause no harm to the rest of the world.

Maybe we should offer Hawaii as the first trial site. I for one would nominate the Big Island because I live there, and seem to be especially attractive to the little buggahs. Imagine, a mosquito-free Hawaii. I’d like to know what others think.

Howard Bennett

Laupahoehoe

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