Jason Rasgon

Feb 17, 2021

Silencing the alarm

An enzyme in the saliva of certain insects prevents their food plants from warning neighboring plants of an attack.

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Sep 09, 2020

More dengue fever and less malaria – mosquito control strategies may need to shift as Africa heats up

As it becomes too warm for comfort, the Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria may lose the battle against climate change in Africa. But a new foe is on the horizon.

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Aug 05, 2020

Gene-edited mosquitoes are ready for the U.S. — but is the U.S. ready for them?

In mid-June, Florida’s department of agriculture and consumer services approved a plan to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild.

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Apr 23, 2020

Gene-editing protocol for whitefly pest opens door to control

Whiteflies are among the most important agricultural pests in the world, yet they have been difficult to genetically manipulate and control, in part, because of their small size. An international team of researchers has overcome this roadblock by developing a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing protocol that could lead to novel control methods for this devastating pest.

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Sep 17, 2019

Study on DNA spread by genetically modified mosquitoes prompts backlash

For 10 years, the company Oxitec has been testing whether genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes can suppress populations of their natural brethren, which carry devastating viruses such as Zika and dengue. Its strategy: Deploy (nonbiting) male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes bearing a gene that should doom most of their offspring before adulthood.

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Aug 27, 2019

Graphene film promising for blocking mosquitoes

Health officials are touting a new protection against bloodsucking insects amid reports of a rare mosquito-borne disease that has infected four people in Massachusetts, killing one woman.

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Jan 31, 2019

Scientists Are Tweeting About The Strangest Experiments They've Ever Done

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Nov 13, 2018

Anopheles Mosquitoes Could Spread Mayaro Virus in U.S.

Mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles are well known as primary vectors of malaria. But a new study suggests that Anopheles species, including some found in the United States, also are capable of carrying and transmitting an emerging pathogen, Mayaro virus, which has caused outbreaks of disease in South America and the Caribbean.

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