We have lasers that are mounted to jumbo jets that kill ICBMs, we have lasers mounted to trucks that can kill planes, and we have lasers that can produce conditions similar to the ones found in and on Jupiter. We also have lasers incorporated into medical systems that can make your butt skinnier,
Now, we have a laser that can “toast millions of mosquitoes in a few minutes.”
That’s right kids – a group of scientists, including some that worked on the United States “Star Wars” anti-missile program back during the cold war, are developing a laser system that kills mosquitos. Not just like a carpet-bombing-raid-style-kill-em-all kind of laser, we’re talking one that distinguishes from “bad” mosquitoes and “good mosquitoes.” Funny – I thought all of those little punks were bad. In an article at CNN, Dr. Jordin Kare, the head of the project, commented on the use of mosquitoes:
Responding to questions about any potential harm the laser could pose to the eco-system, Kare said: “There is no such thing as a good mosquito, there’s nothing that feeds exclusively on them. No one would miss mosquitoes,” he said.
“In any case,” he added. “The laser is able to distinguish between mosquitoes that go after people and those that aren’t dangerous. What remains to be seen is how precise we can get.”
One of the ideas kicking around for the use of this project is protecting villages usually susceptible to Malaria-carrying mosquitoes by providing a mosquito-free “fence” around a village using the lasers. I wonder what a big pile of dead mosquitoes around a village looks like?
Thanks, CNN and InventorSpot!
