Wicked parthenogenetic scorpions
February 19, 2019 12:04 PM   Subscribe

"Statewide, scorpion stings have increased threefold over the last two decades.

[...]Wicked problems are a symptom of numerous other related problems, both natural and human-made. In this case, Brazil’s urban scorpion infestation is the result of poor garbage management, inadequate sanitation, rapid urbanization and a changing climate.

It is likely too late to stop the spread of scorpions across Brazilian cities."
posted by clew (3 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
LISA: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
SKINNER: No problem. We simply unleash wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
LISA: But aren't the snakes even worse?
SKINNER: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
LISA: Then we're stuck with gorillas!
SKINNER: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.
posted by Fizz at 12:31 PM on February 19, 2019 [12 favorites]


The author suggests that this problem is intractable, but says that:

Brazil’s urban scorpion infestation is the result of poor garbage management, inadequate sanitation, rapid urbanization and a changing climate

It sure sounds like two of those causes are addressable (though expensive) and are things you would want to fix even without the scorpion problem as an impetus. I only know what I just read in the article, but that sure sounds like an obvious path to managing the problem. I guess this is what he means by saying that the problem can only be managed, not solved, though.
posted by agentofselection at 1:05 PM on February 19, 2019 [2 favorites]


It seems to me that a parthenogenic organism would have limited genetic variability, and thus would be more vulnerable to a biological treatment, such as a pathogen, or parasite. But maybe the species has a way to compensate for that, I don't know. In any case, it seems daunting, but not impossible.
posted by ambulocetus at 5:50 AM on February 20, 2019 [2 favorites]


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