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)

Why Talking to Strangers Will Make You Happier With Nicholas Epley

Why Talking to Strangers Will Make You Happier With Nicholas Epley

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Most people say they’d want to read minds. But Prof. Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business says you already have that...

7 Okt 201924min

Leading Presidential Scholar Analyzes Trump Impeachment

Leading Presidential Scholar Analyzes Trump Impeachment

It’s been a historic week, with news that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has officially opened an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. There’s no better expert to examine the recent events in ...

27 Sep 201919min

The Politics of Archaeology In Iraq With Christopher Woods

The Politics of Archaeology In Iraq With Christopher Woods

The looting of the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad became one of the defining moments of the second Iraq War. Christopher Woods, the director of the Oriental Institute, one of the world’s foremost ...

23 Sep 201924min

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg On Polarization, Discrimination and Her Favorite Dissent

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg On Polarization, Discrimination and Her Favorite Dissent

One of the incredible perks of making a podcast at a place like the University of Chicago is the opportunity to feature some of the incredible guests who speak on our campus.  This week, Supreme Court...

9 Sep 201957min

Why Your Social Life is a Matter of Life and Death with Linda Waite

Why Your Social Life is a Matter of Life and Death with Linda Waite

Is it possible that having lunch with your friends is just as important in keeping you alive as exercising? That’s what University of Chicago professor Linda Waite is arguing. Her first of its kind re...

26 Aug 201922min

Revolutionizing Economics By Studying People In The Real World With John List

Revolutionizing Economics By Studying People In The Real World With John List

If you’ve played Candy Crush, flown on United Airlines, or taken an Uber or Lyft, you’ve been in one of Prof. John List’s experiments without even knowing it. List has revolutionized economics researc...

12 Aug 201928min

The Unknown History Of The White Power Movement With Kathleen Belew

The Unknown History Of The White Power Movement With Kathleen Belew

We're taking a summer break during July, but we'll be back in August with new episodes telling the stories of leading research with some of the world's greatest minds. During the break, we'll be bring...

29 Jul 201927min

The Missing Link In Evolution with Neil Shubin

The Missing Link In Evolution with Neil Shubin

Evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin spent six years in the Arctic searching for a fossil that could be a missing link between sea and land animals. Shubin shares the story behind his discovery of Tikta...

15 Jul 201926min

Populært innen Fakta

mikkels-paskenotter
fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
foreldreradet
treningspodden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
jakt-og-fiskepodden
sinnsyn
rss-kunsten-a-leve
hverdagspsyken
fryktlos
rss-kull
rss-bisarr-historie
gravid-uke-for-uke
hagespiren-podcast
rss-var-forste-kaffe
rss-sunn-okonomi
lederskap-nhhs-podkast-om-ledelse
takk-og-lov-med-anine-kierulf