Pesticide resistant insects are a big problem in the farm field. But San Diego scientists have found a way to turn their mutations around through a new strain of bugs that are pesticide susceptible.
Many of the pests that eat our farm crops have been sprayed with pesticides so much they have evolved resistance and can’t be killed by them, just like some bacteria have evolved to become resistant to antibiotics.
But scientists at UC San Diego can now genetically engineer new insects of the same species that are not resistant to pesticides. And they can easily pass on their traits when they breed with pesticide-resistant bugs.Become a KPBS sponsor “So if you can make the insects sensitive to it again, then you can just keep on using the same pesticides we already have that work, but at much lower frequency and much lower doses,” said Ethan Bier, professor of biology at UC San Diego. “So the total burden you put on the environment could go down by orders of magnitude, potentially.” The bugs, engineered in a lab, carry a genetic drive that eliminates the pesticide-resistant mutations. Bier said the drive works quickly as the engineered insects breed with local populations. They can make a local population of bugs 100 percent pesticide vulnerable within ten generations. Bugs breed ten generations in about six months. The genetic information that fuels the drive is designed to disappear from the insects over the same time period. That means, in the end, they become no different from the bugs we knew, prior to their exposure to insecticide. “We’ve been able to use this genetic strategy we’ve been working on where you essentially drive a trait into a population,” Bier said.“We’ve been able to do that in a way that the only thing that is left after you’re done is the population like it used to be. So you’ve rewilded it and there’s no genetic scar of any kind. There is no other element that is added.”Fruit fly geneticist and professor of biology Ethan Bier stands in his UCSD lab, Nov. 27, 2024. Even so, these bugs have undergone mutations in the lab and releasing them into the wild could be controversial. With that in mind, Bier said all environmental regulations would need to be met before any of these creatures could be allowed to mate with wild populations.A journalist with 30 years of experience, Tom covers science and technology stories for KPBS' platforms. He has received recognition for his outstanding work in hosting and public affairs reporting from the Unity Awards, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, and the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.Trump picks longtime ally Kash Patel to replace current FBI director
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
San Francisco wins order blocking Oakland’s airport from using ‘San Francisco’ nameReuters
Read more »
Al Medical Engineering at School of Biomedical Engineering - Beijing, China job with Tsinghua UniversityThe Role Recognizing the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence in MedTech, the School of BME at Tsinghua University is thrilled to announce the availability of several faculty positions in the emerging research direction of AI Medical Engineering.
Read more »
From San Francisco to San Diego: State legislator explores downtown recovery strategiesThe chair of the state legislature's Select Committee on Downtown Recovery toured part of downtown San Diego as part of an effort to revitalize downtown areas across the state.
Read more »
Preview: San Diego’s best runners meet Saturday for CIF San Diego Section Cross Country ChampionshipsThe event takes place at Balboa Park’s Morley Field
Read more »
San Antonio teen drowns while fishing in San MarcosA San Antonio teen drowned during a fishing trip in San Marcos, police said.
Read more »
San Carlos becomes 1st city in San Mateo County to call on sheriff to resignThe San Carlos City Council's vote follows the release of an explosive report on Sheriff Corpus by an independent investigator.
Read more »