NEWS
- 11 May | Right Approach to Study Economy For Beginners Click Here →
- 05 May | Caution!! You may enter into No productivity Zone Click Here →
- 07 May | How Toppers identify the Implicit Demand of the Question Click Here to watch Ujjawal Priyank IAS AIR 10 Strategy →
A ‘bio-safe’ way to fight mosquitoes
News
Researchers at the University of Arizona have discovered a protein that prevents mosquitoes from hatching, thus taking a major step toward developing a “mosquito birth control” drug
Important facts
- Scientists selectively blocked the activity of the protein – which they named Eggshell Organizing Factor 1, or EOF-1 – in female mosquitoes
- After that the mosquitos laid eggs with defective egg shells, leading to the death of the embryos inside
Significance of the discovery:
- Developing drug targeting the protein could interrupt mosquito egg formation and reduce mosquito populations in areas of human disease transmission without harming beneficial insects such as honey bees.
Additional Facts:
Mosquito Threat:
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mosquitoes are one of the world’s deadliest insects
- Malaria, a disease spread by mosquitoes infected around 216 million people in 2016, killing 445,000 of them
- Other diseases spread by mosquitoes include Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, West Nile virus and dengue
