The FDA just approved genetically modified mosquitoes to fight Zika in Florida

As the Zika virus has gained a foothold in Miami, Florida the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a field test of a genetically modified mosquito to help combat the virus.

The engineered Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were created by Oxitec Ltd. as a means to control the diseases that the insect typically carries. The male members of the modified line are designed to transmit a fatal gene when it mates with a female. The gene kills the offspring, which will help reduce the larger population of this particular species.

The FDA found that the test would "not have significant impacts on the environment"

Earlier this year, the FDA gave Oxitec preliminary approval to conduct a field test and to deploy their OX513A mosquitoes in...