• ricecake@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    60
    ·
    1 month ago

    All of our best data on the impact says that it really wouldn’t matter. Sometimes a species is a linchpin for the ecosystem, and sometimes it isn’t.

    Sucks for mosquitoes, but there’s a very real chance that we’ll smallpox them, and the biggest concern will be our confidence that the virus we use doesn’t impact other species unintentionally.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      1 month ago

      Haven’t read closely on it, but I’ve seen plenty of articles about the lack of effect we’d see over killing off mosquitoes. I have a feeling that, along with what you said, it’s because they’re tiny.

      Consider the dragonfly. They hunt mosquitoes efficiently. But relative to their size, a mosquito is like us eating a candy bar, or even less. Meanwhile, they could snatch about anything else and it would be like a 3-pound steak.

      • Unpigged@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        1 month ago

        Now that you say that, average us candy bar contains 200…250 kcal a piece. That’s about 1/7th of BMR of an average healthy male.