Bill Gates-funded company released 150K genetically modified insects

A biotech firm funded by Bill and Melinda Gates has released genetically modified mosquitoes were just released in the US.

@JakConnorTT

Published May 4, 2021 4:31 AM CDT
Updated May 30, 2021 9:51 PM CDT

55 seconds read time

A Bill and Melinda Gates-funded biotech firm has released thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes in the United States.

Bill Gates-funded company released 150K genetically modified insects 01

The biotech firm Oxitec has confirmed in a press release that the release of these genetically modified mosquitoes is for population control of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that spread diseases such as dengue and malaria. All of the genetically released mosquitoes are male, and have a self-limiting gene that causes offspring to die before they can reach adulthood and reproduce again.

Oxitec has already begun testing this type of technology in Brazil, where it saw a 95% drop in the Aedes aegypti species after just 13 weeks. Oxitec announced a collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation back in 2018, check out the press release here. In a recent press release, the company emphasized that the genetically modified mosquitoes it was releasing are unable to bite. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

NEWS SOURCES:interestingengineering.com, oxitec.com, oxitec.com

Jak Connor

Jak joined the TweakTown team in 2017 and has since reviewed 100s of new tech products and kept us informed daily on the latest science, space, and artificial intelligence news. Jak's love for science, space, and technology, and, more specifically, PC gaming, began at 10 years old. It was the day his dad showed him how to play Age of Empires on an old Compaq PC. Ever since that day, Jak fell in love with games and the progression of the technology industry in all its forms. Instead of typical FPS, Jak holds a very special spot in his heart for RTS games.