Aedes aegypti mosquitoes at Oxitec laboratory in Campinas, Brazil, on Feb. 2, 2016. Afterward, only those male mosquitoes — which don't bite — will be released to mate with unsuspecting female Aedes aegypti. “We are releasing male mosquitoes because male mosquitoes do not bite and cannot transmit disease.”If all this sounds like the opening of a sci-fi movie, that's because the endeavor represents a cross-section of the health-care and technology industries. Verily officials anticipate that up to 20 million male mosquitoes could be released between now and the fall. Strikingly, though, this evolutionary marvel does not naturally infect the species of mosquito that carries dengue virus, [Aedes aegypti].

Source: Washington Post July 19, 2017 15:29 UTC