Jennifer Kay
December 6, 2012, from Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/gene-altered-mosquitoes-could-used-vs-dengue-101105808.html


summary:
In Key West, Florida, mosquito control officials are hoping to attempt a test release of genetically modified mosquitoes, to stop the spread of dengue fever in the area. Targeting the species Aedes aegypti specifically, as it can carry dengue fever, the scientists from the British company Oxitec caused the mosquitoes, all non-biting males, to carry a birth defect that would kill their offspring before maturing. Ideally, the males when released would mate with females, but then their offspring would all die due to the birth defect, and the population of Aedes aegypti in Key West would collapse in a few generations. This way, the control officials would not have to use pesticides. Supporters state that the local ecosystem would not be affected, as the species is not native and does not function as an important food source. However, others worry about unforeseen effects of the artificially inserted genes on humans or the ecosystem, and insist that the company at least spend more time testing the effectiveness of the measure before implementing it. As the company already has the green light from governments in other countries, a suggestion is that they wait to see whether the mosquitoes work as intended there before bringing them into Florida.

connection:
This article mainly connects to what we have learned about genetically modified organisms, which in this case are the mosquitoes. The article demonstrates some of the controversy caused by the release of GMOs into the ecosystem. Also, the article relates to gene insertion, as the genes causing the birth defect were inserted into the male mosquitoes by scientists.