A Purdue researcher and a team of scientists working on a new insecticide argue that mosquitoes should not simply be made extinct due to their role in various ecosystems. Catherine Hill, a professor of entomology, and her team are developing an insecticide that will suppress mosquitoes' ability to transmit diseases without killing the insect or interfering with other life forms. The team is based in Discovery Park, a research park dedicated to using interdisciplinary teams to solve global problems. Hill's research was one of the winners of Discovery Park's Big Idea Challenge, a program that provides resources to interdisciplinary teams with innovative research.
"For the last 20 years I've been trying to figure out how to kill mosquitoes, and then I had this epiphany where, morally, I'm just not OK with it anymore," she said.
There has been a lack of research in preserving mosquitoes because researchers have looked mostly at ways to eradicate them. Therefore, Hill thinks it is essential to consider all the possible effects of wiping out an organism that has existed for thousands of years. She points out that mosquitoes have co-evolved with many species, so there are likely other organisms that depend on them as a food source.
https://phys.org/news/2017-07-mosquitoes.html
[Source]: Why mosquitoes should not be eliminated
I was reminded of:
Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room. - Christine Todd Whitman
Should there be a "Save the Mosquito" movement?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by starcraftsicko on Tuesday July 11 2017, @09:29PM (1 child)
The reasons to wipe them out are well understood. The reasons to not are speculative at best. This one is easy!
This post was created with recycled electrons.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 12 2017, @02:20AM
By draining the swamps (literally), humans have already removed a great deal of mosquito habitat (along with habitat for many other species). Florida is a poster child for this, along with many other hot, coastal areas.
At least one source found by google says this is the origin of the phrase, "If you are up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember that you came to drain the swamp." -- the claim was that it went back to eliminating malaria. Then the phrase was later re-purposed by both political parties, at different times.