Seattle Scientists Developing Mosquito Laser Gun With Target Lock

[-Cp]

THIS ROCKS!

http://pulse2.com/2009/03/15/seattle-scientists-developing-mosquito-laser-gun-with-target-lock/

Scientists in Seattle are making a laser gun that can lock on to moving targets. The laser gun is intended to go after mosquitoes, especially those that are carrying malaria. About 1 million people die per year from malaria carried by mosquitoes. It is big problem caused by a small creature.

At this year’s TED conference, Bill Gates let loose mosquitoes that he carried in a jar. Gates did this to make a point that many of us are fortunate that we do not live in areas that are of risk.

The laser is called weapon of mosquito destruction (WMD). The design was assisted by Lowell Wood, an astrophysicist that worked on the original Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) proposed by Ronal Reagan in 1983. The SDI was also code named “Star Wars.”

“We like to think back then we made some contribution to the ending of the cold war,” stated Dr. Jordin Kare. “Now we’re just trying to make a dent in a war that’s claimed a lot more lives.”

The laser detects the audio frequency created by the beating of mosquito wings. A computer detects the audio and triggers the laser to shoot the mosquito’s wings off. The mosquito then plops to the ground and doesn’t make it to their prey. Bill Gates is one of the investors in this project.

This laser could kill billions of mosquitoes every night.

[PostmodernProphet]

THIS ROCKS!

http://pulse2.com/2009/03/15/seattle-scientists-developing-mosquito-laser-gun-with-target-lock/

Scientists in Seattle are making a laser gun that can lock on to moving targets. The laser gun is intended to go after mosquitoes, especially those that are carrying malaria. About 1 million people die per year from malaria carried by mosquitoes. It is big problem caused by a small creature.

At this year’s TED conference, Bill Gates let loose mosquitoes that he carried in a jar. Gates did this to make a point that many of us are fortunate that we do not live in areas that are of risk.

The laser is called weapon of mosquito destruction (WMD). The design was assisted by Lowell Wood, an astrophysicist that worked on the original Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) proposed by Ronal Reagan in 1983. The SDI was also code named “Star Wars.”

“We like to think back then we made some contribution to the ending of the cold war,” stated Dr. Jordin Kare. “Now we’re just trying to make a dent in a war that’s claimed a lot more lives.”

The laser detects the audio frequency created by the beating of mosquito wings. A computer detects the audio and triggers the laser to shoot the mosquito’s wings off. The mosquito then plops to the ground and doesn’t make it to their prey. Bill Gates is one of the investors in this project.

This laser could kill billions of mosquitoes every night.

I suspect this is a hoax because of "triggers the laser to shoot the mosquito’s wings off".....a head shot would be so much cleaner.....by the way, don't hum in your backyard if you buy one......

[Nukeman]

Why not just spray DDT. works just fine!!!!!! :coffee:

[Abbey Marie]

Indeed. A million a night? If you over-kill the mosquitos, certain species will lose their main food source. There are always repercussions when you mess with nature.

[PostmodernProphet]

24 hours = 1440 minutes = 86,400 seconds.....

I'm going to guess this thing can't kill a million a night.....

[DannyR]

Indeed. A million a night? If you over-kill the mosquitos, certain species will lose their main food source. There are always repercussions when you mess with nature.There are plenty of residential areas where mosquitoes can be wiped out, because humans have already developed and killed off the natural predators that kept them in check.

[Yurt]

There are plenty of residential areas where mosquitoes can be wiped out, because humans have already developed and killed off the natural predators that kept them in check.

wrong....spiders that feed on mosquitos are alive and well in metropolitan areas

[LiberalNation]

yes but we want them to die as well.

[Abbey Marie]

wrong....spiders that feed on mosquitos are alive and well in metropolitan areas

As are many birds.

[Yurt]

As are many birds.

true

[Kathianne]

Why not just spray DDT. works just fine!!!!!! :coffee:

Agreed, not probably necessary in post-modern world, but where malaria is a serious problem. Even someone I usually think is a tool got it a few years ago:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/08/opinion/8kristof.html?_r=1


January 8, 2005

OP-ED COLUMNIST
It's Time to Spray DDT

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
If the U.S. wants to help people in tsunami-hit countries like Sri Lanka and Indonesia - not to mention other poor countries in Africa - there's one step that would cost us nothing and would save hundreds of thousands of lives.

It would be to allow DDT in malaria-ravaged countries.

I'm thrilled that we're pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the relief effort, but the tsunami was only a blip in third-world mortality. Mosquitoes kill 20 times more people each year than the tsunami did, and in the long war between humans and mosquitoes it looks as if mosquitoes are winning.

One reason is that the U.S. and other rich countries are siding with the mosquitoes against the world's poor - by opposing the use of DDT.

"It's a colossal tragedy," says Donald Roberts, a professor of tropical public health at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. "And it's embroiled in environmental politics and incompetent bureaucracies."

In the 1950's, 60's and early 70's, DDT was used to reduce malaria around the world, even eliminating it in places like Taiwan. But then the growing recognition of the harm DDT can cause in the environment - threatening the extinction of the bald eagle, for example - led DDT to be banned in the West and stigmatized worldwide. Ever since, malaria has been on the rise.

The poor countries that were able to keep malaria in check tend to be the same few that continued to use DDT, like Ecuador. Similarly, in Mexico, malaria rose and fell with the use of DDT. South Africa brought back DDT in 2000, after a switch to other pesticides had led to a surge in malaria, and now the disease is under control again. The evidence is overwhelming: DDT saves lives.

But most Western aid agencies will not pay for anti-malarial programs that use DDT, and that pretty much ensures that DDT won't be used. Instead, the U.N. and Western donors encourage use of insecticide-treated bed nets and medicine to cure malaria.

Bed nets and medicines are critical tools in fighting malaria, but they're not enough. The existing anti-malaria strategy is an underfinanced failure, with malaria probably killing 2 million or 3 million people each year....

[Little-Acorn]

THIS ROCKS!

The laser is called weapon of mosquito destruction (WMD).

A computer detects the audio and triggers the laser to shoot the mosquito’s wings off. The mosquito then plops to the ground and doesn’t make it to their prey.

This laser could kill billions of mosquitoes every night.

Ummm... I think you've all been had here.

What is the likelihood the original author wrote this for The Onion?

BTW, Nukular Man made the best suggestion: Spray the mosquito-infested areas with DDT. Knocks off mosquitoes that carry malaria, doesn't harm humans or other animals or plants.

Decades ago, some enviro-whacko found a study that said that DDT made the shells of the eggs of certain birds, slightly thinner. This apparently resulted in some tiny percentage of that breed of bird, die at infancy when they got out of their eggs sooner, or something. Very few were affected.

But the enviro-whacko ginned it up into a major "scare", predicting wholesale slaughter of every bird on the planet. Someone even wrote a book about it (whose predictions have since proven 100% wrong). People got so nutty, that Congress banned DDT forever after.

How many humans have died of malaria since then, who would have lived had DDT been sprayed to control the mosquitos? Kathianne's article mentions "2 to 3 million every year"... and the number of dead continues to increase today. People in many parts of the world, are dying every day from malaria which could be easily controlled or eliminated.

The good news? A few bird's eggs do have thicker shells.

[DannyR]

wrong....spiders that feed on mosquitos are alive and well in metropolitan areasThey can eat them when they plop to the ground, their wings fried.

[Little-Acorn]

Perhaps they can reprogram the laser to only shoot off part of the mosquito's left wing? Then it will continuously fly in circles to the left, and die of excessive liberalism.

Sounds like a plan!

[Kathianne]

Ummm... I think you've all been had here.

What is the likelihood the original author wrote this for The Onion?

BTW, Nukular Man made the best suggestion: Spray the mosquito-infested areas with DDT. Knocks off mosquitoes that carry malaria, doesn't harm humans or other animals or plants.

Decades ago, some enviro-whacko found a study that said that DDT made the shells of the eggs of certain birds, slightly thinner. This apparently resulted in some tiny percentage of that breed of bird, die at infancy when they got out of their eggs sooner, or something. Very few were affected.

But the enviro-whacko ginned it up into a major "scare", predicting wholesale slaughter of every bird on the planet. Someone even wrote a book about it (whose predictions have since proven 100% wrong). People got so nutty, that Congress banned DDT forever after.

How many humans have died of malaria since then, who would have lived had DDT been sprayed to control the mosquitos? Kathianne's article mentions "2 to 3 million every year"... and the number of dead continues to increase today. People in many parts of the world, are dying every day from malaria which could be easily controlled or eliminated.

The good news? A few bird's eggs do have thicker shells.

Birds are important, so is some thought of people. We agree on that. However, striking a compromise while saying people are more important, that to me is common sense:

http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.21353,filter.all/pub_detail.asp


Considerations for the Use of DDT in Malaria Control

By Roger Bate, Richard Tren, Jasson Urbach, Jennifer Zambone
Posted: Friday, October 8, 2004

ARTICLES
Health Policy and Development (Uganda Martyrs University)
Publication Date: October 1, 2004

The insecticide DDT has been very successfully used for many years in malaria control programmes around the world. We assess the validity of the allegations that DDT is harmful to human health and the environment and find that they lack credibility. This is particularly true when one considers the way in which DDT is used in malaria control and the risks that people face from malaria. Indoor Residual Spraying programmes can be sustained for many decades and have been shown to have a considerable impact on malaria morbidity and mortality. However any country considering using DDT or any other insecticide in an Indoor Residual Spraying programme to control malaria should ensure that the right regulatory mechanisms are in place and that the programme is well controlled with scientific and medical oversight.

Introduction

Malaria is the leading cause of death among children in Africa and causes catastrophic harm to the continent’s development, even though it is a preventable and curable disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that the disease claims over 1 million lives every year. Approximately 93 percent of Uganda’s population is at risk from malaria, and according to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) the incidence of the disease has increased from approximately 5 million cases in 1997 to 16.5 million in 2003. In malarial countries, the disease is estimated to reduce per capita economic growth by 1.3 percent per year (Gallup & Sachs 2000).

Thus, controlling malaria is important not only because of the human misery the disease causes, but also due to its economic burden, which creates further human misery. One of the most effective ways of controlling malaria is the targeted use of residual insecticides. When sprayed on the inside walls of dwellings, these insecticides kill the adult Anopheles mosquito that transmits the malaria parasite. Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) programmes eradicated malaria from Europe and North America and dramatically reduced malaria in many other parts of the world. One of the most effective insecticides for IRS programmes is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or DDT....

[DannyR]

Perhaps they can reprogram the laser to only shoot off part of the mosquito's left wing? Then it will continuously fly in circles to the left, and die of excessive liberalism.They are blood sucking parasites. Did you really need any more proof? :laugh2:

[Immanuel]

Indeed. A million a night? If you over-kill the mosquitos, certain species will lose their main food source. There are always repercussions when you mess with nature.

Friggin' environmentalists! Care more about mosquitoes than human beings... there ought be a law against them. :lol:

Immie

j/k Abbey

[PostmodernProphet]

Friggin' environmentalists! Care more about mosquitoes than human beings... there ought be a law against them. :lol:

Immie

j/k Abbey

Wait a minute...aren't WE the mosquito's main food source?....

[Mr. P]

THIS ROCKS!

Scientists in Seattle are making a laser gun that can lock on to moving targets. The laser gun is intended to go after mosquitoes, especially those that are carrying malaria. .

Rocks alright...maybe a box of rocks...I think this proves there are NO Scientists in Seattle. Liberals yes, but why would a liberal wanna kill a sceeeter?
Where are the bug huggers when ya need em?

[DannyR]

Ummm... I think you've all been had here.

What is the likelihood the original author wrote this for The Onion?It certainly sounds like an Onion story, but its been picked up by major newspapers.

Here is a Wall Street Journal link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123680870885500701.html

Now a really cool story will be when they mount the lasers on the mosquitoes. That might make an interesting home defense system!

[Little-Acorn]

It certainly sounds like an Onion story, but its been picked up by major newspapers.


There's a sucker born every minute. And, clearly, many of them work for newspapers.

Has nobody stopped to consider the unlikelihood (is that a word?) of a laser that can shoot the wings on a moving target the size of a mosquito, that won't also toast the rest of the bug? And NOT harm anything else that might be around... like the eyeballs of the guy a few feet or yards downrange, that the skeeters were swarming around?

The people publishing this article, have been had. It's definitely Onion material.

[glockmail]

Indeed. A million a night? If you over-kill the mosquitos, certain species will lose their main food source. There are always repercussions when you mess with nature. The wings aren't the food source.

[glockmail]

...
Has nobody stopped to consider the unlikelihood (is that a word?) of a laser that can shoot the wings on a moving target the size of a mosquito, that won't also toast the rest of the bug? And NOT harm anything else that might be around... like the eyeballs of the guy a few feet or yards downrange, that the skeeters were swarming around?

.... Since the wings are thin and have very little moisture they would be the first thing to burn off by a relatively weak laser. If the unit can recognize then follow an insect it could be easily programmed to avoid larger creatures.

[Abbey Marie]

The wings aren't the food source.

And you know this how?

[Trinity]

I can hear my 10 year old now...........Mom mom buy me a mosquito killing laser..............the next evening the child is in the yard blasting everything with wings........... die sucker die! :eek:

[glockmail]

And you know this how? Based on the relative weight of the wing and what they are made of: chitin. Basically cellophane.

[Trinity]

So I ran this whole mosquitoes laser thing by my 10 year old............he says, what? I said you shoot and kill mosquitoes with it, it is a laser gun...........needless to say he gets a big old grin on his face and said, where let me see it! Can we get a pic?

[Classact]

Here in Puerto Rico mosquitoes are a problem year round but I use a low tech solution... first remove all breading areas, like wet leaves or standing water containers and then encourage breading areas for my local gecko population that loves mosquitoes as much as I love porterhouse steak... I've made several incubators for gecko's to lay their eggs in from scrap PVC tubes and the gecko population has doubled at least.

I don't think a mechanical system is practical because as I pointed out earlier they breed over such a large area... I think the absolute best method would be to build shelters for bats if you truely want to reduce the mosquito population as a whole because of their ability to accomplish the same result as the invention mentioned. If mosquitoes carry disease then only one has to bite you so in that case the only sure thing to prevent that is chemical spray that reacts to similar motion detection.