Fox: Florida to release genetically modified mosquitoes, detractors blast ‘Jurassic Park’ experiment
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Fox News reported the following:
Florida to release genetically modified mosquitoes, detractors blast ‘Jurassic Park’ experiment
August 20, 2020
Local authorities on Tuesday gave final approval to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys over a two-year period, starting in 2021, with the hope of preventing diseases such as the Zika virus but has faced blowback and comparisons to a Steven Spielberg thriller.
The Monroe County Mosquito Control District signed off on the proposal that had already won state and federal approval. It will be the first time genetically modified mosquitoes will be released in the U.S.
The plan has not been universally accepted and has received backlash from residents and environmental advocacy groups.
“With all the urgent crises facing our nation and the State of Florida — the Covid-19 pandemic, racial injustice, climate change — the administration has used tax dollars and government resources for a Jurassic Park experiment,” said Jaydee Hanson, policy director for the International Center for Technology Assessment and Center for Food Safety in a statement released Wednesday. …
The project had received approval from the EPA back in May to release the mosquitos engineered by British company Oxitec.
The genetically modified male mosquito, named OX5034, was altered with a special gene that inhibits the survival of their female offspring when they mate with wild female mosquitoes. https://www.foxnews.com/science/florida-release-750m-genetically-modified-mosquitoes
While this could work, the risks are substantial. Like what happened in the Jurassic Park movie, where nature did not limit itself to what the geneticists hoped, the same can happen with this experiment.
By the way, many strongly suggest that COVID-19 may have been released (inadvertently) by a lab and scientists in Wuhan China who had been genetically-altering viruses.
It is likely that intentional biological substances will be used in warfare. Related to that, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following video for our Bible News Prophecy program:
Biological Warfare and Prophecy
Is biological warfare possible? Was it prophesied? Scientists have long warned that pathogenic organisms like the coronavirus could be weaponized. Furthermore, back in 2017, there were concerns that the biological research facility being constructed in Wuhan, China was risky and that a coronavirus from it could be released. On January 25, 2020, China’s President Xi Jinping publicly stated that the situation with the Wuhan-related strain of the coronavirus was grave. Did Church of God writers like the late evangelist Raymond McNair warn that engineered viruses (the “Doomsday bug”) were consistent with prophecies from Jesus? Did a warning from CCOG leader Bob Thiel warn about risks of genetically-modified (GMO) mosquitoes come to pass? Could human research and/or the consumption of biblically-unclean animals such as bats and snakes be a factor in current outbreaks or coming future pestilences? What about famines? How devastating have pestilences been? How devastating are the prophesied ones going to be? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.
Here is a link to our video: Biological Warfare and Prophecy.
Now, that is not to say that warfare is the objective of Oxitec, the firm involved with this latest mosquito release plan.
Yet, the reality is that there is no way that items like genetically-modified mosquitoes can be so thoroughly tested in a lab to be released in the wild without any risk.
Why?
A laboratory environment simply cannot test every possible variable in the real world.
The release of genetically-modified mosquitoes in Florida is a dangerous risk.
Now, here is the headline and some of what follows it from Oxitec’s website:
Friendly & Powerful technology for a changing planet
Oxitec has developed the world’s leading INSECT-BASED biological control system to SAFELY AND sustainably CONTROL INSECTS THAT TRANSMIT DISEASE AND DESTROY CROPS.
Sure, that can be their public hope. To assert that this has been safely done when all results and variables cannot possibly have been considered is an overstatement of hope, not, in my view, of science.
The release of other genetically-modified mosquitoes has been tried before, but the results were not as the proponents hoped:
Deadly ‘super mosquitoes that are even tougher’ accidentally created by scientists after bungled experiment
Updated September 18, 2019
GENETICALLY modified mosquitoes that were designed by scientists to help populations decrease are actually thriving.
This is according to new research that claims the plan to create gene-hacked mosquitoes that have offspring which die immediately has spectacularly backfired and now scientists don’t know what will happen next.
The modified mosquitoes were released in Jacobina in Brazil and were supposed to mix with the local population and decrease numbers with their weak offspring genetics.
Although the wild population did plummet for a short while, 18 months later it was right back up again.
This is mostly concerning because scientists think the new ‘super mosquitoes’ have properties that might make them harder to kill.
Research about the pests has been published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. …
Mosquitoes like the Aedes aegypti variety that was edited can carry dangerous diseases like yellow fever, Zika virus and Malaria.
This is why efforts are being made to reduce their numbers.
However, now traces of the genetically modified genes have been found in the natural population.
This means they are successfully interbreeding. …
The offspring of the gene-hacked mosquitoes and the natural ones are thought to be more robust but whether they pose a threat is unknown.
Researcher Jeffrey Powell told News Atlas: “It is the unanticipated outcome that is concerning.” https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/9947305/deadly-super-mosquitoes-accidentally-created/
So, scientists are concerned about “the unanticipated outcome.” Having mosquitoes that are “more robust” makes them harder to kill and, thus tends to increase their longevity.
Well, I anticipated something just like this when I reported about the release of GMOs mosquitoes on July 28, 2018. Here are some of my posted warnings.
Mosquitoes can carry and spread many diseases.
But releasing genetically-modified ones into the wild presents unknown risks.
One assumption that scientists have tended to make with genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) is that if they do not see any dangers, then there are none. That is foolish, yet that continues to be the view of the pro-GMO crowd.
While there certainly are risks associated with contracting the Zika virus (see Zika is more dangerous than many thought; USA has its first Zika death), this ‘solution’ poses risks to various parts of the ecosystem as well as the possibility that some of the offspring produced will have greater longevity as opposed to greatly reduced longevity.
The vast quantity of mosquito offspring increases the possibility that there will be some that have the opposite traits that the GMO crowd is hoping to get. And if this occurs, this could cause much greater problems than the GMO ‘solution’ was supposed to fix. …
Genetically modified mosquitoes pose dangerous risks. (Thiel B. Genetically-modified mosquitoes have been released to ‘fight Zika’. COGwriter, July 28, 2018)
GMOs are very dangerous precisely because scientists CANNOT ANTICIPATE all the potentially negative outcomes.
Super-mosquitoes are a health-risk.
Mosquitoes, GMO or otherwise, have major potential to spread pestilences and cause pandemics.
Notice some of what Jesus warned would happen prior to the start of the Great Tribulation during the beginning of sorrows:
7…And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:7-8)
11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:11)
(Perhaps it should be mentioned that contrary to the views of some Protestant prophecy preachers, the fourth horseman of the apocalypse is NOT Islam, but has to do with death and pestilence: see Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse).
Mosquitoes are pests, as far as humans are concerned, and can spread many diseases.
Bible prophecy shows that the situation with pestilence is expected to worsen:
7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:7-8)
Mosquitoes, and the diseases associated with them, are consistent with the “beasts of earth” that Revelation 6 is discussing.
Genetically modified mosquitoes can be harder to kill than natural ones and pose dangerous, and seemingly prophesied, risks.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Here is a link to a related sermon: Fourth Horseman, COVID, and the Rise of the Beast of Revelation. Here is a version of that sermon in Spanish: El Cuarto Caballo, El COVID y El Surgimiento de la Bestia del Apocalipsis. Some shorter related videos may include Amphibian Apocalypse: Threat to Humans? and Zombie Deer Disease is Here! Are the 10 Plagues on Egypt Coming? Here is a version of the article in Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18?
Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here is a related YouTube video GMO Risks and the Bible.
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras? Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled Sorrows and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2027 or 20xx? There is also a video titled 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
The Great Tribulation: What Happens First? What events have happened? What are some events that are now happening? And what events need to happen for the Great Tribulation to start? Here is a link to a related sermon video: Counting Down to the Great Tribulation.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2020, 2021, or 2022? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter and newer video is: Could the Great Tribulation Begin in 2020? Here is a link to the Spanish version of that video: ¿Podría la Gran Tribulación comenzar en 2020?
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