AlisonH
Filed under: Life
So there’s a subtropical virus native to where the temperatures tend to keep it in check that was discovered in an invasive cutworm in Japan where the cooler temps allowed that virus to thrive. The New York Times article lays out how all this was discovered, starting with sheer chance.
And what that virus does is make it so that the next generation of bugs is only or nearly only females–and it is inherited. Thirteen generations were only able to produce three males out of all those eggs.
I thought, well, that’s one way to kill off an invasive species!
The resident male was not quite so sanguine on the existence of such a virus. Oh. Right. Yow.
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Couldn’t see the article but that sounds interesting.
Now what happens if some bright light tries to use that “for good purposes “ but it gets out of hand? A little scary to think of what species could be lost unintentionally?
I don’t quite get how “creating generation upon generation of all females” works–eventually you need males, right, to get those future generations? I tried to read the article but I’m a little squeamish for the details–interesting concept, for sure.
Comment by ccr in MA 11.17.23 @ 10:09 amQuite interesting and hoping the discovery will actually go on to help, and not cause more problems. As much as I wish for no mosquitoes, they are food for other animals.
Comment by DebbieR 11.17.23 @ 12:12 pmLeave a comment
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