Australia Mosquito Population Researchers Developing Genetically Modified ‘Toxic Males’ to Kill Females by Mating With Them [Video]

In Australia, researchers are considering how genetic engineering could allow mosquitoes to produce venom proteins, like those produced by spiders and sea anemones, in their sperm to transfer the poison to female mosquitoes when mating.

In a study led by Macquarie University, researchers first used genetically modified fruit flies to test what has been dubbed the “toxic male technique,” which makes it possible for the insects to produce venom in their sperm. After mating, the poison transfers to the female, ultimately reducing the female fruit flies’ lifespans by 60%, researchers found. The females are targeted because they are the mosquitoes that bite humans.

As the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported, the female fruit flies lived for only about six or seven days after mating with the poisonous males.

“Ideally it’s quite rapid,” Sam Beach, lead author of the study, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “We want that to be much closer to 100 percent, like a much faster acting reaction.”

Additionally, …