GMO mosquito plan sparks outcry in Florida
A British company's plan to unleash hordes of genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida to reduce the threat of dengue fever and other diseases has sparked an outcry from fearful residents. The company, Oxitec, said it wants to try the technique there in order to reduce the non-native Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in south Florida and beyond. "They are more than just a nuisance as they can spread serious diseases such as dengue fever and chikungunya," Oxitec said on its website. The process involves inserting a gene into lab-grown, male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
