They're only 'good' because they're sterile, and capable of sabotaging mosquito ... | Hacker News

Hacker Timesnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

bagels on Oct 7, 2016 | parent | context | favorite | on: We’re trying to stop bad mosquitoes by raising and...

They're only 'good' because they're sterile, and capable of sabotaging mosquito reproduction. If they weren't sterile and "only produce good male mosquitos again", the population would not decrease, they would just be releasing regular male mosquitos.

hubert123 on Oct 7, 2016 [–]

right, which means that eventually the entire population would be male and then die off

sp332 on Oct 7, 2016 | [–]

I was about to say that's impossible because meiosis produces equal number of "male" and "female" cells but... someone actually did it. https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2014/06/eradic...

Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.
Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact