On the 19th November, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District gave the green light to a controversial plan to test genetically engineered male mosquitoes.
The mosquitoes – developed by UK biotechnology firm Oxitec – carry a gene that makes their offspring die early. By letting the GM mosquitoes mate with native female mosquitoes in the wild, the idea is to reduce the population of mosquitoes carrying dangerous diseases such as Zika and dengue.
The Florida trial in Key West is set to only last a few months, terminating when the last of the modified mosquitoes die off.
