Google wants to release 32,000,000 infected mosquitoes into the wild

Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s 32,000,000 mosquitoes.

That’s the vision behind a new public health project from Google in California and Florida.

Google is seeking federal approval to breed and release swarms of mosquitoes carrying an infection harmless to humans.

Mosquitoes are among the deadliest animals in the world, making millions sick every year with diseases including West Nile virus, St Louis encephalitis, dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever.

To tackle this, researchers aim to render the insects sterile.