Sterilising mosquitoes by radiology could halt spread of dengue fever

[Nigeone]

Am I missing something here ?? So they treat the male mosquitoes and then release them....why do they bother treating them and not just kill them ?? The males that is.? If they spend time catching them then sorting them then treating them..save yourself. and just kill the males !! Same end result isn't it ..Can't fertilise the females when there dead..!!

[dru2]

Of course they don't catch them. They breed them.

Then they release them and they mate with the females. Their offspring die before reaching reproductive age. The females are unable to have more offspring.

Clever stuff. But NOT a Thai innovation.

What a surprise.

[Nigeone]

Okay see what your saying, or they are, how often do females mate in a breeding season ?? Or do they breed all year round?

Actually Google is my friend, will go and look lol

[diehard60]

I just wonder how long it will take to render these mosquitoes harmless when they have been let go into the wild???? How many years will it take to stop the fever????????????

[Nigeone]

Well according to Google it's only the female mosquito that bites as it needs the protein to feed the eggs...can lay up to 3 times and 100 eggs each time...as someone else said why not treat the females also then

[impulse]

Well according to Google it's only the female mosquito that bites as it needs the protein to feed the eggs...can lay up to 3 times and 100 eggs each time...as someone else said why not treat the females also then

Here's what I get:

They breed mosquitoes, adding to the local population. According to your Google research, adding viable females to the local population is a bad thing.

The referenced treatment works on males, but not on females. Even if it did work on females, you'd still be releasing females (who do all the biting)

They treat the males, then release them to mate with indigenous females- beating the local males to the punch, creating offspring that will die instead of offspring that will bite.

Since the treatment doesn't sterilize females, they can't release them without increasing the indigenous population,

So they separate males from females before the treatment, and kill the females instead of releasing them to bite and make viable babies.

[Usual Suspect]

Personally I think a water-based chemical to kill larvae..that could be widely available, & used by everyone to 'treat' all standing water near homes may help..as well as trying to educate the Thais to put lids on all their water-pots.

(Before you all scoff at me for suggesting using a chemical in water, just think of the unregulated amounts of spray the farmers put on fruit & veg here? That we all eat without a 2nd thought)

[Yann55]

Quote : scientists are now able to differentiate between the sexes as the males have a significantly smaller head than the females.

You gotta love that one.

[impulse]

Quote : scientists are now able to differentiate between the sexes as the males have a significantly smaller head than the females.

You gotta love that one.

Yeah, but which head?

[Yann55]

Quote : scientists are now able to differentiate between the sexes as the males have a significantly smaller head than the females.

You gotta love that one.

Yeah, but which head?

My point, precisely.

But I forgot that on TVF, you can't just 'hint', you have to be graphic.

[impulse]

Quote : scientists are now able to differentiate between the sexes as the males have a significantly smaller head than the females.

You gotta love that one.

Yeah, but which head?

My point, precisely.

But I forgot that on TVF, you can't just 'hint', you have to be graphic.

But that would be neglecting the feminists that make up about 1.5% of TVF posters. Those who would hold out the smaller heads as proof positive of their long held belief that guys are idiots with small brains.

[Tywais]

Coincidentally I just finished the hardware and software design for a precision Cobolt 60 dose control system. A couple of minor errors or miscommunication in the OP.

"which will be irradiated with 70 Gy (Gray) of Gamma rays for a little over a minute from Cobalt 60" - The 1 minute time depends on the age of the Cobolt source due to half-life. On the machine I used the source was 23 years old and would take 4 min 38 seconds for 70 Gy. The original source activity was 18 kGy/hour = 1.8 million rad/rem per hour. Currently it is at .9 kGy/hour or 900 rad/rem per hour.

70 Gy = 7000 rad. Table showing the biological effects at different doses in rad/rem.

• 300-400 Serious radiation sickness; also marrow and intestine destruction; LD 50-70/30.
• 400-1000 Acute illness, early death; LD 60-95/30.
• 1000-5000 Acute illness, early death in days; LD 100/10.

2nd error - "The process poses no danger to human or pet animals as the intensity is comparable to radio-waves and micro-waves that we encounter on a daily basis"

Radio/microwaves are unrelated to Gamma irradiation. The former is non-ionizing radiation while the latter is ionizing radiation, that it is it strips electrons off.

x-rays for practical purposes in biological effects same as gamma. Hospital x-rays, .1 to .9 rad depending on area. CT scan, .05 to 4.5 rad

The machine we updated the control for.

[Chongalulu]

Stop trying to screw around with nature, just increase precautionary measures, medication and education on the risks.

Next we will have bloody radioactive midgies roaming around.

Spoken like a true Luddite. Vaccinations and medication,which I assume you have benefited from,is "messing around with nature" . I agree that education (in your case) might help.

[Chongalulu]

'Why are some TV people so anxious to rubbish any Thai attempt at innovation?'

Show me.

Because it's not innovation,it's been developed elsewhere. Rather like putting a tyre on a pickup claiming you've invented the wheel

[Basil B]

I have had this idea that if mosquitoes could be genetically modified to bread females that either nether hatched or were infertile, while the the males passed on the GM.

[sunnyjim5]

I have had this idea that if mosquitoes could be genetically modified to bread females that either nether hatched or were infertile, while the the males passed on the GM.

Not sure that having GM mosquitoes making "bread" would solve the problem !

[sanukjim]

So,How do you cut the gonads of the little bastxxds

[bark]

There must be trillions of mosquitoes in Thailand. These guys are going to be busy.

3.456 trillion to be exact. There was one more, but I killed it last night.

[HomeinThailand]

At least its not gamma radiation. no need for hulk mosquitoes.