This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Makes sense, google has embraced it's own parasitism and now is making alliances with other parasites.
One can only hope they have not been designed by AI. "Oh, sorry, I made a mistake, I see that now. According to current news, this killed XXXXX people so far."
I always really wanted to release a bunch of Komodo dragons in there, I think they'd thrive. They'd cull the population of.. Many animals! Including Floridians. I think that'd be good for us, as humans I mean. Keeps us on our toes. I think we could have a very healthy Komodo dragon population in the Florida swamps before 2050. I bet they adapt super well. They have to! They always do. Good thing, not growing too complacent in ones superpredatorialism. Let's put the beef where our mouths are, let the dragons prey on the slower ones, cull human population quite organically. It's really not that far off from what we used to do like 20KYA or so. Back then we had snub nosed bears and let me tell you, they were no girl scout cookies either!
I've always been partial to releasing Siberian Tigers in North America.
The fact that Google is behind it is what makes it sketchy. I bet those mosquitoes are carrying 5G.
Also, has anybody thought to ask why Google has 32 million mosquitoes on hand?
They are allying with the other parasites to seize control obviously.
Also, has anybody thought to ask why Google has 32 million mosquitoes on hand?
Probably the spawn of Sundar Pichai
The fact that Google is behind it is what makes it sketchy. I bet those mosquitoes are carrying 5G.
Truth. Fuck Google, fascist Genocide supporting oligarchs.
Their motives are not pure, for sure. But this program will save many lives, even if its strategic value to Google is long term self benefit.
Also, has anybody thought to ask why Google has 32 million mosquitoes on hand?
This isn't new, releasing infertile male mosquitoes to reduce the population is a proven technique, and will genuinely reduce disease risk, so the public-health value is real. Why Google has them on hand? Well, they bought the company that started the program (Verily) and took it over, they have a lot of interest in the health and science sectors, not just AI and search/ads.
The real concern is that public health, ecological management, and climate adaptation are collective needs, but they are increasingly being handled through private corporate platforms. Debug can look humanitarian while also expanding Google’s role in governing public infrastructure, deciding how data is collected, how interventions are deployed, who gets served first, and who remains dependent on corporate technology.
Google is using a real public-health problem to develop a scalable bio-automation platform, gain regulatory and municipal trust, strengthen its public image, and position itself inside future public-health and climate-adaptation infrastructure.
They see huge profits and monopoly on technology that will likely become essential to our survival in the future, as they accelerate that likelihood with their reckless environmentally devastating technologies today. They'll make us pay to use their technology to control pests that threaten our food supply. This isn't charity, it's long term strategic planning.
As for the immediate need, we're gonna need this technology for the devastating future that's coming, and since our corporate controlled government aren't doing it themselves, it might be good to let it happen through evil corporations today, and hopefully when shit gets bad enough people will finally revolt and take ownership of it back to society, where it belongs. If not, we'll continue to be slaves to corporations, but at least half the population won't starve or die of mosquito spread diseases.
I don't like that Google is doing it, and you're absolutely right not to trust their stated motives, and no doubt they're thinking of all possible evil applications of the technology in the future.
Sounds like a billionaire/CEO are sick of mosquitos in their garden, homes, beaches etc.
The intent maybe good but what is Google getting out of it? They are not saints definately.
They're going to use blood to run data-centers, probably.
Sterile mosquitoes. Which is actually a highly effective strategy for lowering mosquito populations. Also, only the females bite you - the male mosquito’s entire purpose in life, with no exaggeration, is to bang and then die.
lowering mosquito populations
Sure, since bees are doing so incredibly well (/s) let's get the number of pollinators down even more. And it's not like they are food themselves to others (/s)
You trust google?
As a rule, no. But there are a number of scientific papers on this topic.
I don't trust any of them. I'm familiar with their test projects they've done, one in Florida. And I know they've done something successful with that weird screw fly thing down south of the border.
Ok now you’re venturing into conspiracy theory territory. Nobody wants a screwworm outbreak anywhere. They’re a categorical pestilence.
What did I just say? That they successfully controlled the screw worm with it. Jesus Christ read it before you trash it.
I dont see it explained, but wouldn't this cause catastrophic issues with the ecosystem? Bats and such rely on them. How will this not cause a collapse?
........am I a male mosquito? I don't bite. I bang, and......well one day I'll die.
No, you are simply a car.
Well I am gassy.
Vroom vroom
We sure? Do we want to trust Google with this? Why is Google involved at all. Feel a conspiracy with this.
Cynicism about anything evil corp does is well founded, but this has actually has a solid basis.
I assume they do it for reputation-washing -> look at this one good thing we do and ignore all the other evil stuff
Google is involved in all kinds of things, this is one of hundreds of "surprising" projects they have running.
Yes, I hate mosquitoes, but they’re a pretty significant part of the ecosystem. But Google is well known for their measured and thoughtful approach, and especially long-term planning, so I’m sure it’s going to be just fine.
Only a couple of species of mosquitoes actually bite human beings. At least one of those species is not native to the United States. We can safely kill those species and it should not impact the diet of birds and other things, sincere will still be plenty of other mosquitoes to go around.
They are targeting the major disease carrying species, so it's not like we will be getting rid of all the pests - and their benefits - the way aerial poision spraying does.
Testing in Singapore reduced disease burden by 70-80% after the release, that's significant improvement in quality of life - I know people who contracted West Nile, it's not fun.
50/50 this has been in the works for a long time by many trust worthy people and companies well before Google. How Google got their dick in this? Who the hell knows. They also wanted to do the same in New Zealand for rats. They are invasive and have decimated the local bird population by eating eggs. It almost went ahead until some dumbfuck indigenous big chief was all like "nature finds a way" well now, birds are dead and rats are everywhere. Guess nature got fucking lost.
“nature finds a way"
Yeah, nature's way is: the rats win. That's how we're here and the Neanderthals aren't.
I'm honestly ok with the ecosystem risk to eliminate the specific species that bite humans. Other species will likely fill the niche they have as food, etc. Mosquitoes are literally the deadliest animals, killing way more people than even other people.
What exactly is the risk to the ecosystem? Since you're okay with it, you should know what it is, right?
The ecosystem is pretty important for things like us having food.
The ecosystem risk is that a reduction in A. Aegpyti population causes a collapse of the insectivores that depend on consuming it and thus starve, with a knock on effect up the food chain.
While this may happen, a) predation is not currently any real constraint on the population, and b) other insects have been shown to be able to take up part of the niche and c) this already an ecosystem which been rebalanced - they are not naturally occurring in the US they have travelled over with humans
Google is thoroughly evil, and I upvoted the cynical parent comment, but on this one subject they are on the right side of the ledger.
Other non disease carrying mosquitos can take over the ecological niche for a net benefit to humanity.
How about this. I would rather the entire ecosystem including you and I collapse than keep putting up with the little vampires. For such a snarky prick I don’t see with any answers
I'll look forward to hearing that the program has been cancelled for no apparent reason in a couple of years after successfully delivering all of its objectives
I'm in favor of anything that gets us closer to making mosquitos extinct. Either the ecosystem adapts, or it's now on an only-slightly-steeper nose dive toward total collapse than it is anyway with the amount of non-mosquito related damage we're causing every day.
Like, if we're fucked anyway, let's be fucked in the relative comfort of a world without mosquitos!
Iirc they've done several impact studies and determined that wiping out the species that bites humans wouldn't have a significant impact.
another one will easily take its place since there is more than 1 that can trasmit certain viruses, aedis ageypti is the one that transmits the most viruses. malaria usually only spread by anopholes mosquitoes.
Only two species really, the rest are important pollinators. But big fuck A. Ægypti
gSquito - Instead of drinking your blood, they will steal your data
This will end well
