To Satisfy Bloodthirsty Lab Mosquitoes, Give 'Em The Fake Stuff
Feeding mosquitoes artificial blood could help get them ready to go out in the world and stanch the flow of disease — and reduce the need for animal blood
Tiny, pesky and deadly, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are super at spreading disease, including dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus. Yet all over the world, scientists, nonprofits and biotech companies are raising hordes of this species to release into the wild.
Why is that?
For decades people have relied on industrial pesticides to beat back mosquito populations and limit the diseases they spread. But with continued use, some pesticides lose their effectiveness as the bugs build up resistance.
This is a huge problem: The World Health Organization cites mosquitoes as one of the world's deadliest animals. Each year the diseases they disseminate kill millions
