Google is moving ahead with plans to release up to 32 million specially treated male mosquitoes in California and Florida to help reduce the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
According to reports from USA Today, Google submitted an application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last month seeking approval for the project. While the application was filed under Google's name, the work is being carried out by Verily, a biotechnology company owned by Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL), Google's parent company, as part of its "Debug Project."
Launched in 2016, the Debug Project brings together software engineers, biologists, robotics experts, and artificial intelligence (AI) to find new ways to control mosquitoes that spread diseases. The project is based on the fact that only female mosquitoes bite humans and transmit viruses.
Verily's approach involves infecting male mosquitoes with a naturally occurring bacterium called Wolbachia. When these males mate with wild female mosquitoes, the eggs do not hatch, causing the mosquito population to decline over time. In simple terms, the method makes mosquitoes naturally sterile without using chemicals or genetic modification.
The current project focuses on the red house mosquito, a species known for spreading West Nile virus, which can cause serious damage to the central nervous system. Google plans to release 16 million laboratory-bred male mosquitoes in Florida and California during the first year, followed by another 16 million in the second year.
Verily has tested this method before. Between 2017 and 2019, it carried out field trials in Fresno, California. In one 2018 experiment, 14.4 million male mosquitoes were released across three areas covering 293 hectares. The results showed a 95.5% drop in female mosquito populations during peak mosquito season compared with nearby regions.
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