OPEN LETTER/ Come to the dialogue and listen to me speak, otherwise I will cut off your scholarships, you will rot in prison. Please!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

"The deadliest creature on the planet"/ Why has Bill Gates declared war on mosquitoes?

2023-08-18 14:38:26Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"The deadliest creature on the planet"/ Why has Bill Gates declared
Why has Bill Gates declared war on mosquitoes?

"Compared to a shark bite, a mosquito bite seems pretty mild. But the reality is that I am much more afraid of a small mosquito than a great white shark. And my fear is based on data. Mosquitoes and the diseases they carry kill more people in one day than sharks kill in 100 years."

This is the entry of the last letter that Bill Gates sent to the group "Gates notes, The Insider Edition", a group of millions of members from all over the world who are informed about the issues that concern one of the richest and most powerful people in the world.

On this final note, Bill Gates turns the discussion to one of his "favorite" topics: mosquitoes, which he describes as "the deadliest creatures on the planet."

"Each year, I like to draw attention to the world's deadliest creature — along with the incredible science and innovation being mobilized to defeat the diseases it spreads," the note continues. "This week, I'm sharing stories on my blog about the people leading this fight, where they're focusing their efforts, the technology they're using to make an impact, and the obstacles that still stand in the way."

Next, Bill Gates presents the four latest efforts in the battle against mosquitoes.

The importance of smell

The Dutch company DSM-Firmenich is one of the largest fragrance manufacturers in the world. Now, he is studying the possibility of infusing certain products with scents that repel mosquitoes.

At the company's Geneva labs, which Bill Gates has visited in the past, researchers are trying to develop everyday products like soap and laundry detergent with scents that will last and keep mosquitoes away, which is turns out to be quite complex.

"I'm optimistic that the perfumers in Geneva will find a way," Gates writes. "The Gates Foundation is supporting their research in hopes that one day, people in high-risk areas will have more protection from mosquitoes without having to do any extra work or spend extra money."

Mutated mosquitoes

Biotech company Oxitec is developing genetically modified mosquitoes to combat the new mosquito strain An. Stephensi, which thrives in cities and migrated to Africa from South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, and if left unchecked, threatens 126 million people in Africa with the risk of malaria.

The company is working with the government of Djibouti to implement a program that will introduce mutant mosquitoes into the country with the aim of eradicating the dangerous Ani Stephens.

Their genome

Over the centuries, humans have made systematic efforts to exterminate mosquitoes, but without success.

At Britain's Wellcome Sanger Institute, researcher Mara Lawniczak is trying to understand how the genomes of different mosquito species have changed in response to human attempts to kill them.

She also tries to paint a picture of what the future holds: “How fast can mosquitoes evolve? And as we use new weapons against them, how quickly will they overcome them?”

African Science

The Center for Research on Infectious Diseases (CRID), a non-profit research institution in Yaounde, Cameroon, aims to eliminate malaria from the citizens of Cameroon.

The center has received funding from the Gates Foundation, collects mosquito samples from different regions of the country and conducts research in its state-of-the-art laboratories.


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×