Los Angeles has seen a surge of mosquitoes lately, as global temperatures rise and tropical weather reaches higher latitudes. In order to counter those potentially spreading dengue fever, authorities have resorted to genetically modifying specimens in hopes to decrease their population.
According to a report by NBC News, these lab-raised mosquitoes are all male and have been sterilized by radiation, so scientists hope they will impregnate females with dead-end sperm, making resulting eggs worthless. They are focusing on the Aedes aegypti species, which carries dengue fever.
