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Alan Tyler
Well-known member
How cool is that? Must show the boss, perhaps I can stop feeding the little sods. What a brilliant way round the problem! The malaria plasmodium can't easily be attacked, its chemistry is too similar to ours, so the only weak point in its life cycle is the mosquito; trying to attack the adult females will never work; this may well do it. Fiendishly clever.
Don't shed too many tears for the little devils, Ian, this will only control outbreaks, not render them extinct. Thanks for the link!
Don't shed too many tears for the little devils, Ian, this will only control outbreaks, not render them extinct. Thanks for the link!
Alan Tyler
Well-known member
By the way, talking of flourescent bollox, have you seen those jellyfish with the brilliant lilac ones? The thing is, they have no eyes, so who are they trying to impress??
I
Ian Cloke
Guest
I don't know what my Mrs woud think if I came home with flourescent...........;o)
davestocker
Well-known member
Here's a thought. If they manage to eradicate malaria, all those places that humans can't live because of the mosquitos will suddenly become habitable. So what will happen to the wildlife that I guess will have thrived in the absence of humans? I reckon that biting and stinging insects are the gatekeepers of wilderness. If they go, so will it.
Alan Tyler
Well-known member
That's been a big problem with the control of tsetse fly, I believe, but malaria doesn't exclude people to anything like the same extent, it just makes life miserable and shorter. I think malaria (Burma campaign) shortened my father's life, so I'm probably a little less green on this issue than most.
davestocker
Well-known member
I defer to your knowledge of biting insect pests, Alan. I'm not a greenie, tho. It just struck me that there might be unintended consequences that could follow from eradicating a nasty disease, something most of us would consider to be a de facto good thing.
Alan Tyler
Well-known member
I don't know much about them, I just breed 'em for a guy who does.
There will undoubtedly be unforseen consequences, there always are when we muck about with nature, but that's been going on since the beginning of agriculture. The best we can do is monitor change and be careful.
I meant, by the way, that I'm not as "green" about malaria as I am about other issues; ambiguous writing; sorry! All anglers ought to be green, don't let the bunny-huggers put you off.
There will undoubtedly be unforseen consequences, there always are when we muck about with nature, but that's been going on since the beginning of agriculture. The best we can do is monitor change and be careful.
I meant, by the way, that I'm not as "green" about malaria as I am about other issues; ambiguous writing; sorry! All anglers ought to be green, don't let the bunny-huggers put you off.