Malaria and Mosquitos

I watched some of QI last night, missed the start but switched on as Mr Fry was talking about mosquitos and malaria. One fact staggered me, over half the people that have ever lived on this planet have been killed by mosquitos. thats a staggering figure!

the part that i just caught was i was interested to learn Bill Gates and some other chappy are spending billions in order to wipe out Malaria. In principle of course this is a good thing, but a good point was made in saying that mossies and malaria are a good polenator, they keep the numbers down. harsh but very very true. Is it therefore right that people continue to play God in this fashion?

i remember the storm of 87 (stick with me), there was footage of many thousands of trees blown down and once it had all calmed down Man then started replanting trees in certain areas. it was noticed after 5,6 or 7 years that where Man had planted trees almost all of them had failed to flourish, yet where things were left alone trees and plant life had once again bloomed. Thoughout history there have been storms, yet trees are still here. Man will be killed by disease yet will continue to survive. Ambiguous linkage granted, but i hope you see my point

Anyway, dont discuss this any further, i just wanted to say something

Even though you do not wish me to discuss this Keiffy, I will! LOL!

Kind of agree. Think we do play God too much and at the end of the day, there needs to be some sort of natural selection process or the world would become over run.

Not that I don't see the point you're driving at Keith, but thousands in the West die from Malaria each year, whereas more than a million die from the disease in Sub-saharan Africa, with the vast majority of the victims being children.

And sub-saharan Africa isn't really a part of the world where 'population control' is pivotal for the rest of the world. Humans developing new medicines isn't us playing God, it's simply survival of the fittest - us.

Where would we be without penicillin, etc? Every species has the right for self preservation. The 'playing God' issue for me isn't about allowing diseases to continue to wipe out our own but rather when we interfere with saving endangered species for example. Then we are interfering with natural selection.

Thulfi do you not think that is a little hypocritical though? It's ok to find ways not to kill the human race but lets not interfere with endangered species? Why are we any better?

What about cancer then. Should we stop looking for a cure for that? that kills the rest of the population the malaria misses. If we can find a cure for any disease we can always say we are correcting god's mistakes if it makes you feel any better about it.

[gruntygiggles]

What does it have to do with God?

We, as humans will only be here for a finite amount of time. We are just a phase in earths history. I think it's good that we at least recognise the bad we have done and are trying to fix it, but when you look at the world as a planet, we really won't ever make much of a difference. We'll be gone one day, along with pretty much everything else and a new cycle will begin.

Regarding Mosquitos and malaria, yes, it's crazy. It is the biggest killer in the world. Seconded by Diahorrea which, unfortunately is killing almost as many as malaria.

Originally Posted by Milky Bar Kid

Thulfi do you not think that is a little hypocritical though? It's ok to find ways not to kill the human race but lets not interfere with endangered species? Why are we any better?

It's not ok. We should save endangered species. That was just an example I gave of us playing God. Before we were around, animals would get extinct and others would flourish, without any inteference.

As humans, we have 'taken over' the Earth so to speak due to natural selection, ie the capacity of our brain to develop towns, medicines etc. I was merely saying that self preservation of ourselves isn't playing God, it's natural selection/survival of the fittest. Preventing certain animals from getting extinct (when they should have been some time ago) may on the other hand be considered intefering with natural selection...

...which is no biggy imo and we should. I just don't think you can compare developing drugs/saving more humans to saving endangered species.

[Spikenipple]

We'll need to stop growing on this planet as a species quite soon indeed; the human population is currently just under 7 billion but we're running out of useful/habitable land already. Developed countries have been buying land in less developed countries for years as fallow for when they run out of space.

[Biker Biggles]

Originally Posted by Spikenipple

We'll need to stop growing on this planet as a species quite soon indeed; the human population is currently just under 7 billion but we're running out of useful/habitable land already. Developed countries have been buying land in less developed countries for years as fallow for when they run out of space.

Indeed.The Attenborough point which is the elephant in the room.(talking of endangered species)
Its no longer a case of should we play god,more a case of we have to play god because we have developed to the extent that we can wipe out other species,and destroy the world.With that ability comes responsibility and failure to limit human expansion,and protect other species will ultimately result in our own destruction.
Possibly sooner rather than later.

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by bris

What about cancer then. Should we stop looking for a cure for that? that kills the rest of the population the malaria misses. If we can find a cure for any disease we can always say we are correcting god's mistakes if it makes you feel any better about it.

Well there is an argument for NOT treating genetic conditions.

Goes along the lines of if people die of these before they pass them on then the disease dies out.

Before anyone says anything, yes I do have one of these types of condition, as does my father, who would probably be dead by now without treatment, so it DOES/WOULD affect me.

So, maybe the cure for cancer is to test people, and if they are shown to have these conditions, stop them having children and spreading the disease.

Me, I'll happily keep taking the meds...