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Drug turns human blood into poison for mosquitoes. (news.nd.edu)

submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

When mosquitoes drink blood that contains nitisinone, the drug also blocks this crucial HPPD enzyme in their bodies. This prevents the mosquitoes from properly digesting the blood, causing them to quickly die.

This is starving not poisoning.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This has the same vibe as "the bullet didn't kill them, it was the blood loss that got them"

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

What if the mosquito can’t drink so it goes for a protein bar instead?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

a mosquito walks into a protein bar...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

The bartender says "why the long nose?x

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago

Sounds like both?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

If you look at the mechanisms of poisons, they all mess up some process in the animal or plant.

For example, Glyphosate is a very effective herbicide. It prevents plants from producing some amino aids. It "starves" the plant.