Another approach being developed by a British company called Oxitec involves inserting a lethal gene into the mosquito genome, and field trials have already commenced in Malaysia, Brazil, and Panama. However, these strategies are inherently self-limiting; the genetic alterations are rapidly eliminated by natural selection, and the only way to make a dent in mosquito populations is to repeatedly release large batches of the modified insects. CRISPR gene drives, by contrast, are self-sustaining; since the mode of inheritance appears to outsmart natural selection, the modified insects propagate
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