Why Breeding Millions of Mosquitoes Could Help Save Lives, With Scott O'Neill
Big Brains7 Mar 2024

Why Breeding Millions of Mosquitoes Could Help Save Lives, With Scott O'Neill

Mosquito-borne diseases are one of the greatest global health threats, infecting around 700 million people every year with Zika virus, dengue fever, malaria and yellow fever — which can all be deadly if left untreated. Unfortunately, the mosquito population is not slowing down, and factors like climate change and increased global travel are broadening the mosquito's range. The effort to stop the mosquito is not an easy task; insecticides and vaccines can't completely stop the spread of these diseases. But instead of trying to kill mosquitoes, one nonprofit is taking a unique approach.

Scientist Scott O'Neill is founder and CEO of the World Mosquito Program, a nonprofit group with the goal of eliminating mosquito-borne diseases. The program is implementing a new method of inoculating the wild population of mosquitoes with a bacteria called Wolbachia, which is resistant to diseases. So far, the program has been rolled out in countries like Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Australia and Mexico – and has already seen success in reducing rates of disease.

Link to the advertised Chicago Booth Review Podcast: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/podcast?source=cbr-sn-bbr-camp:podcast24-20240307

Big Brains is sponsored by the Graham School for Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episoder(216)

Unlocking The Secrets Of Black Holes, With Andrea Ghez

Unlocking The Secrets Of Black Holes, With Andrea Ghez

If you know anything about black holes, it may come as a surprise to learn that there’s actually one lurking at the center of our galaxy. It was uncovered by UCLA astrophysicist Andrea Ghez, and in 20...

18 Nov 202128min

Do Your Genes Determine Your Success In Life? With Kathryn Paige Harden

Do Your Genes Determine Your Success In Life? With Kathryn Paige Harden

Experts say we’re living through a renaissance in genetics research. The Human Genome project has explained our most fundamental genetics, CRISPR gene editing can be used to shape genetic code, and co...

4 Nov 202129min

How The UN Aims To Save Humanity, With Chris Williams And Luis Bettencourt

How The UN Aims To Save Humanity, With Chris Williams And Luis Bettencourt

It feels like our world has never faced so many crisis all at the same time, and trying to solve them at once seems impossible. But, in 2015, the United Nations came together to develop a list of 17 S...

21 Okt 202125min

Combating Our Global Water Crisis Using AI, with Junhong Chen

Combating Our Global Water Crisis Using AI, with Junhong Chen

There are a lot of problems in our world today, but if our water systems aren’t working, everything else takes a backseat. From a lack of freshwater to droughts on the West Coast to contaminants like ...

7 Okt 202125min

Revolutionizing Technology at the Nanoscale, with Paul Alivisatos

Revolutionizing Technology at the Nanoscale, with Paul Alivisatos

Sometimes, the biggest discoveries have to do with the smallest things. In this case, we’re talking nano. Specifically, nanocrystals. World-renowned chemist Paul Alivisatos has changed the field of na...

23 Sep 202126min

The Science Behind Forming Better Habits, With Katy Milkman

The Science Behind Forming Better Habits, With Katy Milkman

Why is it so hard for us to form good habits—and so easy to form bad ones? Most people turn to the self-help section to find answers, but this is really a question for behavior science. Katy Milkman ...

9 Sep 202127min

The Secret Nazi Past and Billionaire Future of U.S. Space Innovation with Jordan Bimm

The Secret Nazi Past and Billionaire Future of U.S. Space Innovation with Jordan Bimm

Most people think they know humanity’s history of space exploration, from Sputnik to NASA to our recent shift toward privatized space travel. But what if there was a lost history of our origins with s...

19 Aug 202127min

How a Genetic Breakthrough Could Address Global Hunger

How a Genetic Breakthrough Could Address Global Hunger

By 2050 humanity is going to have to produce 50% more food in order to feed a growing population. That’s a lot, especially given that we currently have trouble feeding the current global population, a...

5 Aug 202122min

Populært innen Fakta

mikkels-paskenotter
fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
foreldreradet
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
treningspodden
jakt-og-fiskepodden
sinnsyn
rss-kunsten-a-leve
rss-bisarr-historie
rss-kull
gravid-uke-for-uke
hverdagspsyken
fryktlos
rss-var-forste-kaffe
level-up-med-anniken-binz
rss-impressions-2
hva-er-greia-med
hagespiren-podcast