Debug Project
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Key people | Linus Upson |
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| Website | https://debug.com/ |
Debug Project is a company under Alphabet Inc., formerly under its subsidiary Verily,[1] using sterile insect technique to reduce the numbers of mosquitoes in a given area through interruption of the reproductive cycle. Through laboratory methods naturally occurring bacteria Wolbachia infect healthy male mosquitoes of the species Aedes aegypti. Subsequently these mosquitoes are released into the wild with the intent to mate with female mosquitoes and by virtue of the Wolbachia infection lay non-producing eggs. It is believed that through this process the overall population of mosquitoes will be reduced by interrupting the reproductive cycle. The hope is that if successful, these might be released in more endemic areas of the world where mosquitoes pose a health risk through the diseases they carry.[2] Computer vision is used to select the males for release.[3]
History
[edit]In 2017, 1 million mosquitoes were released per week 20 times in two of Fresno County's neighborhoods.[4] The project was run in the summers of 2017 to 2019 in Fresno. Mosquito populations bounced back afterwards.[5]
As of December 2024, Google had acquired Debug Project from Verily.[1]
As of May 2026, months of releases had decreased dengue incidents in Singapore by "more than 70%."[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Mansoor, Sanya (2026-06-01). "Debugging: Google requests permission to release 32m mosquitoes in California and Florida". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ "Let's Stop Bad Bugs With Good Bugs". Debug Project. Verily Life Sciences LLC. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ Tirrell, Meg (2017-07-22). "War of the mosquito sexes: Scientists and Google launch a high-tech war to combat Zika". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ Doubek, James (2017-07-21). "To Shrink Mosquito Population, Scientists Are Releasing 20 Million Mosquitoes". NPR. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ "Visit a factory that makes mosquitoes". CBS News. 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2026-06-02.