this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 days ago

In pretty much every other context, yeah. But for real, fuck mosquitoes.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago (8 children)

Why not just eradicate them? Genuine question. I don't think they serve any purpose in nature and are just pissing off every living being.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Well, they actually do have their ecological roles and it is always a hard decision if one should interfere on such a large scale with biological systems. We might think that we understand it, but it could be totally wrong. Really hard to predict. Mosquitoes are an important food source for other animals and are also pollinators.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (7 children)

It's a nice idea. But I wonder what the long term ramifications might be. What ripple effects might happen that we can't see today that end up being problems in the future.

Human history is littered with such problems.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Who knew this whole time I was team mossie

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I had a fruit fly problem over the summer and felt guilty about the cruelty of the glue traps. But when it comes to mosquitos, roaches, and wasps, I'm Hitler. I would favor genetic alterations that expanded their capacity for suffering.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago

"Sheen, this is the 7th week in a row you've shown CRISPR modifications to the mosquito genome to curb malaria in class"

Comments are all the same as when they made mosquitos infertile, unable to spread malaria or wingless too.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Do vegans support this because it prevents mosquitoes from consuming animal flesh, or do they oppose it because it denies the mosquitoes their nature?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago (7 children)

It's nuanced because it could reduce suffering overall, but it could also disrupt ecosystems in ways we can't predict and cause even more suffering. I think the latter is more likely. People have a tendency to paint animals they don't like as insignificant to the ecosystem, but they're nearly always incorrect. Wasps, for instance, are important pollinators, even if they do sting, and mosquitoes are an important food source, even if they are deadly. Anyone who advocates for eradicating species like these is doing so through a biased lens. We are nowhere near the point, technologically or scientifically, that we'd be safe playing god with the natural world like this -- especially not with the massive damage we've already caused to the environment. Someday? Maybe. But not right now.

I do also find it horrific to forcibly alter a mosquito's body so she can't express her natural behaviors. After all -- mosquitoes may cause harm, but they lack the capacity for moral reasoning, and thus cannot be evil. Thus, they don't "deserve" any kind of torment. But my personal discomfort with this isn't a moral argument.

So, uh, that's my take on it as a vegan.

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