The Week has a roundup.

• Genetically modified mosquitoes are set to be released in Florida this year and Texas next year. They pass along a gene to their offspring that causes them to die as larvae, potentially wiping out a particularly nasty species that can spread all kinds of disease like Zika, West Nile, and Dengue fever. I know lots of people who have had Dengue fever and it’s nasty. It surprises me we don’t have it in the U.S. yet when we have the mosquitoes now that carry it. Our winter must be just a tiny bit too cool, and how long will that last. The article points out that birds and bats eat mosquitoes. That is certainly true. I tend to think some other little critter will just fill the niche left by the mosquitoes, but we’ll see. Hopefully the birds will have something to eat. As for the bats, I’m kind of mad at them right now.
• Similar technology is being used to target the diamondback moth and army worm, agricultural pests.
• University of Georgia made the first genetically modified reptile last year.
• Genetically modified salmon are already in commercial production.
• Plants are being modified to absorb more carbon dioxide. (This one actually concerns me. If you release plants that can outcompete native plants that a broad range of insects rely on, there goes your entire food chain. This seems much riskier than targeting one type of insect at a time.)