Biotech to fight dengue

La Prensa:

During the event, it was reported that the British firm Oxitec plans to release thousands of mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to fight dengue in Panama and Costa Rica, as well as in the Florida Keys.

I think this is probably a good thing, but it's amazing that it's being done almost completely without government regulation. It's another example where Latin America and its political leaders need to catch up to modern technology or risk having things happen in the region without any debate. Where are the politicians in the region who are interested in regulating and encouraging/discouraging biotechnology and genetically modified insects to combat disease?

Will 3d printers beat the illegal organ trafficking market?

Organ trafficking isn't as big of a problem in the Western Hemisphere as it is in parts of Asia, but it still does happen. It's an awful illicit market. Some victims have their organs forcibly removed. Others choose to sell their organs due to dire poverty, but that doesn't necessarily make it an ethical or medically sound thing to occur.

This could change with scientists working to print synthetic organs on 3d printers. Having a an ethical alternative that is eventually the same cost or even cheaper than the illegal market should destroy trafficking in illegal organs. It's one victory in the fight against organized crime that we should be able to thank technology for in the next 20 years.

Fighting drugs with drugs

Reuters says Mexico is nearing a successful "vaccine" to undo heroin addiction. There is also a vaccine to halt cocaine addiction in the works.

If ten years from now there are working vaccines, it could make a major dent in the "war on drugs" that goes beyond the legalize-prohibition debate. Research suggests much of the money, violence, health problems and general negative effects of these drugs come from a small subset of hardcore users. If their addiction can be treated (or there will be a very controversial debate about forcing this sort of treatment), the problem of drug trafficking and related violence may become surprisingly more manageable.