Don’t get me wrong. I’m as concerned about species being made extinct as much as the next feller; but there are some things that I’m convinced we could live without and be better for it.

Take mosquitoes, for instance. This story must be one of the most bizarre attempts at genetic modification on record. Scientists at the University of Arizona apparently have found a way to prevent mosquitoes from infecting someone with malaria. Because only the oldest females can transmit the disease, the idea is to shorten their lives by design.

Although a quarter of a billion people are infected with malaria each year, and about one million of them die, it seems to me that the scientists have solved the wrong problem.

I’ll admit that my knowledge of the food chain of which this insect must be a part is limited. On the other hand, you have to realize that I don’t eat them; they eat me. When a mosquito sees me, she sees three square meals plus snacks for the entire neighborhood, and proceeds to invite all her friends. The manner in which I’m bitten resembles the tight pattern that law enforcement officials strive for on the firing range. I even get bites on my bites.

So, you won’t be surprised when I say that a better problem to solve would be how to eradicate the little blighters altogether. Not only would that eliminate the spread of malaria, it would also enable me to come out of hiding on a summer’s evening.

Bruce Hoag, PhD, CPsychol
Work Psychologist