GM mosquitoes

There’s been some buzz in the news recently, about genetically engineered mosquitoes that can no longer transmit the malaria causing plasmodium parasite to humans. The idea now is to now potentially introduce these mosquitoes among populations of normal mosquitoes. Over time, as the mosquitoes mate with each other, the normal mosquitoes would pick up the gene that would prevent infection by the plasmodium parasite, and so if the plasmodium can no longer infect mosquitoes, the mosquitoes would no longer be able to transmit the parasite to humans.

Sunil looks at the science behind genetically modified mosquitoes.