The Florida department of agriculture has given the go-ahead for a controversial scheme to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys and Texas, The Guardian reports.
The mosquitoes have been developed by British biotech company Oxitec and contain a protein that, it is hoped, when passed down to female offspring, will reduce the mosquitoes' chances of survival and prevent them from biting people and spreading diseases such as Zika and dengue fever.
Proponents of the trial argue that since only male mosquitoes are being released, which do not bite, no danger is posed to the public. However, conservation groups are furious at the plan and have sued the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to adequately research the potential impact of the trial.