It's my least favorite part of summer, and it might be yours too.
You're enjoying a backyard barbecue with friends and family,
and then suddenly you've been bit by the summer evening's nemesis, the mosquito.
And what it's left you with is an itchy red well that honestly can ruin your good time.
But mosquitoes, they're not just a nuisance.
They carry and spread lethal diseases like malaria and West Nile virus.
They kill more people each year than any other animal.
So when I heard that there might be a way to rid the world of mosquitoes,
my immediate thought was like, well, obviously we should do it.
We should kill them.
We should kill them all.
I was surprised by this possibility that we might actually be able to get rid of all the mosquitoes.
in the world that carry malaria.
And I discovered this huge, raging debate about whether or not we should actually try to do that.
From the newsroom of The Washington Post, this is Post Reports.
I'm Cole Biekowitz.
It's Thursday, July 24th.
Today,
I talk to climate and wildlife reporter Dino Grandoni about the science of eliminating mosquitoes and why eradicating an entire species raises complicated bioethical questions.
Dino, hey, thanks for being here.