Mosquitoes number among the most hated animals on the planet. They buzz around your ears at night. They suck your blood. Worst of all, they transmit disease-causing pathogens like malaria, dengue, and Zika which kill millions every year. But not all mosquitoes are bad.
In this talk Perran Ross will discuss the intimate relationships between humans and mosquitoes, as well as their broader role in the ecosystem. He will then delve into his current research on invasive mosquitoes and ways to control them, including groundbreaking programs that pit mosquitoes against mosquitoes to help reduce dengue fever transmission.
Perran Ross is an entomologist with a background in mosquito-bacteria symbiosis. His PhD he investigated how environmental conditions may affect the success of dengue control programs that rely on endosymbiotic bacteria called Wolbachia. Building on this work, he is now exploring ways to control agricultural pests like aphids, and the plant-specific viruses they transmit, which cause enormous economic losses in Australia.
Like our previous talks, Perran will be delivering the presentation online with time for questions and conversation at the end. Please register for the session and you will be emailed a link before the event.
- 6.45 livestream starts - allowing for the resolution of technical issues - 7.00 Perran to speak about mosquito ecology - 7.45 Perran to take questions
