Buzz kill
New technology uses a delicious way to kill mosquitoes.
It's spring-like; the mosquitoes in Baton Rouge are hangry. But a genetically engineered fungus may soon outsmart them — not by repelling them, but by luring them to their deaths, reports the New York Times.
Why it matters: Mosquitoes kill more people than any other creature by spreading diseases. About 600,000 people die annually from malaria alone, with children under 5 accounting for 75% of those deaths, per the World Health Organization.
How it works:
- Researchers modified Metarhizium, a pest-control fungus, to constantly emit longifolene, a sweet, woodsy scent that mosquitoes find irresistible.
- The fungus was originally designed to kill insects after contact. It now lures them too. Once mosquitoes approach, the fungal spores invade and consume them from the inside.
- In labs, traps coated with the modified fungi killed 90–100% of mosquitoes — even when human volunteers slept nearby as bait.
What’s next: Field tests will begin soon using a patented trap that targets only mosquitoes. Scientists have also deployed genetically-engineered sterile mosquitoes into controlled areas; when the mosquitoes mate with females, the young ones can't reproduce.
