The ‘Man-Eater’ Screwworm Is Coming | After a decades-long campaign to beat the parasites down to Panama, they’re speeding back up north. - The Atlantic (www.theatlantic.com)
from otters_raft@lemmy.ca to world@lemmy.world on 03 Jun 23:00
https://lemmy.ca/post/45367356

The United States has, for 70 years, been fighting a continuous aerial war against the New World screwworm, a parasite that eats animals alive: cow, pig, deer, dog, even human. (Its scientific name, C. hominivorax, translates to “man-eater.”) Larvae of the parasitic fly chew through flesh, transforming small nicks into big, gruesome wounds. But in the 1950s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture laid the groundwork for a continent-wide assault. Workers raised screwworms in factories, blasted them with radiation until they were sterile, and dropped the sterile adult screwworms by the millions—even hundreds of millions—weekly over the U.S., then farther south in Mexico, and eventually in the rest of North America.

The sterile flies proceeded to, well, screw the continent’s wild populations into oblivion, and in 2006, an invisible barrier was established at the Darién Gap, the jungle that straddles the Panama-Colombia border, to cordon the screwworm-free north off from the south. The barrier, as I observed when I reported from Panama several years ago, consisted of planes releasing millions of sterile screwworms to rain down over the Darién Gap every week. This never-ending battle kept the threat of screwworms far from America.

But in 2022, the barrier was breached. Cases in Panama—mostly in cattle—skyrocketed from dozens a year to 1,000, despite ongoing drops of sterile flies. The parasite then began moving northward, at first slowly and then rapidly by 2024, which is when I began getting alarmed emails from those following the situation in Central America. As of this month, the parasite has advanced 1,600 miles through eight countries to reach Oaxaca and Veracruz in Mexico, with 700 miles left to go until the Texas border. The U.S. subsequently suspended live-cattle imports from Mexico.

Central America is shaped like a funnel with a long, bumpy tail that reaches its skinniest point in Panama. Back in the day, the USDA helped pay for screwworm eradication down to Panama out of not pure altruism but economic pragmatism: Establishing a 100-mile screwworm barrier there is cheaper than creating one at the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. Even after screwworms began creeping up the tail of the funnel recently, the anti-screwworm campaign had one last good chance of stopping them at a narrow isthmus in southern Mexico—after which the funnel grows dramatically wider. It failed. The latest screwworm detections in Oaxaca and Veracruz are just beyond the isthmus.

#world

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lupusblackfur@lemmy.world on 03 Jun 23:13 next collapse

Yes, they’re increasing their spread to the north… But “speeding” is a bit clickbaity there Atlantic… 🤷‍♂️ 🤦‍♀️ 🤡

WHARRGARBL@lemmy.world on 03 Jun 23:49 collapse

It’s 1800 miles from Yaviza, Panama to Oaxaca, Mexico, and these little munchers made it in 2 years.

Oaxaca to Brownsville, TX is 766 miles, so the US could see them arrive in a few months. Seems speedy to me.

Croquette@sh.itjust.works on 04 Jun 12:37 collapse

They were probably brought there through human trade of some sorts. I doubt they covered that range without causing massive issues and destruction on its path in such a short time.

Witchfire@lemmy.world on 03 Jun 23:15 next collapse

The brainworm is calling its allies

RobertPulson@lemmy.world on 03 Jun 23:27 next collapse

ahh yes the Pestilence is in good form but my money is on famine, even though a parlay on war and death together has a big payday. Make your bets folks, scared money don’t make money.

Xaphanos@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 02:18 next collapse

There was once a writing prompts story on reddit. The fifth horseman called Kyle. If anyone can, please repost it here. It was very good.

I vote for him.

Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 04 Jun 05:07 collapse

Think I found it The prompt itself called him Kyle so not sure which response you had in mind.

This one is the top comment:

Death was the oldest. Since time immemorial, people have died and they have come to him. Mankind fights an endless war against him. Though they may have succeeded in stifling his actions, Death is patient. He knows that in the end, all things come to him.

Pestilence was Death’s brother. He brought plague upon the lands. Staining the Earth black with disease and blight. His method of bringing people to his brother was slow and excruciating. However, mankind have begun to stave him off. Disease was beaten by technology and he increasingly faded into irrelevance.

Famine was as old as Death and pre-dated the birth of mankind. He worked with Pestilence to target the source of man’s strength, his food and fuel. He destroyed crop and rotted grain. Starvation and a slow path to Death awaited those afflicted by him. However, man stood strong against him. They developed methods to create a surplus of food, too much for Famine to destroy. They developed methods to deflect his hand so that he may no longer afflict the source of man’s strength. Thus, Famine, like Pestilence, faded into irrelevance.

War was the youngest. He was smart and cunning. He channeled man’s strength against themselves. Conflict and strife became the grounds for which man displayed his strength. Efficient in work, he brought many to Death. However after his most brilliant work, where War embroiled the world twice over, mankind caught on to his cunning. Man made laws and grew to depend on each other. Though they may never fully quell War’s influence, they made sure he would never afflict the world so spectacularly ever again.

Death was unhappy. Mankind had defeated his brothers and impeded his work. In his impatience and anger, he consulted his 5th brother, Kyle.

Kyle was a strange fellow amongst the brothers. He was quiet, lazy and seemed to care little for Death’s work. He decided that his own birthname was too tedious to pronounce and opted for an easier name. Gaelic in origin, “Kyle” meant “narrow” a strange name for a Horseman to take on.

“Help me Kyle. My brothers are defeated. Mankind may one day defeat me as well. Please help out just this once.” Kyle said nothing and merely nodded. He then disappeared off to perform his work.

As Death sat around his bedridden brothers, a miracle occured. Pestilence finger twitched and he his hands grew fleshy. Disease once again spread around the world. No longer as powerful as he once was, but alive once again.

Famine groaned and began to sit upright. Once again, crops wilted and people starved. Famine however, felt something amiss, some of his work was…voluntary. Mankind began to starve itself.

War rose from his bed with new found strength. The gears of conflict shook off their rust and began to turn once again. Innocents die in battle again, widows gained and fathers lost. Misguided soldiers die under authority’s whims.

“You revived our brothers Kyle. How did you do it?” Asked Death, impressed with Kyle’s work.

“I am Kyle, “narrow”, the fourth of the Horsemen. Born with humanity but before War. My influence appeared when the first man decided that he did not need his tribe to survive. Narrow are the minds of humans.

Humans defeated disease with miracle cures. Now some fear that those cures are harmful to them. Let them face Pestilence’s wrath.

Humans defeated Famine through piling resources and modifying crop. Now they hoard but never give. They let their breathren starve. Now they feel that excess of food is sin. They willing starve themselves of their source of strength to meet society’s whims. Let them suffer by Famine’s hand.

Humans defeated War through tolerance, diplomacy and restraint. Now they turn intolerant and unleash violence against those not of their own group. They justify their “Holy Wars” with the blood of innocents. Violence begets violence, vengeance for innocent blood spilled is carried out by the sword. Let them spiral down to oblivion, guided by War.

Narrow are the minds of humans. They do not think before they act. They believe what they want to believe and ignore what they don’t.

I am Ignorance. Until mankind is capable of defeating me, they can never truly destroy the Horsemen.”

Xaphanos@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 11:48 next collapse

That’s the one! Thanks.

Prime_Minister_Keyes@lemm.ee on 04 Jun 12:42 collapse

Shouldn’t it be “he consulted his 4th brother”? Unless there’s one we don’t know about… yet.

peoplebeproblems@midwest.social on 04 Jun 02:37 next collapse

I know this isn’t the time or place. But Death deserves a proper name. It’s a weird hill I preach on since figuring it out.

Death comes for us all.

Pestilence - disease, by virus, bacteria, parasite, prion, etc will lead to death.

Famine - starvation, or dehydration, or simply lack of proper nutrition leads to death.

War - violence, man vs man, for reasons unknown, but entirely human made leads to death.

Death - Leads to death? His name should be something else we fear. And what we fear is related to the above. A few names I propose are Mortality, Age, or just Time - we cannot live forever.

abs_mess@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 04 Jun 07:16 next collapse

Death and “decay” right? The little dust motes, the stray sock on your chair, the mold in your shower, the grey hair on your head, the new wrinkle near your eye, the new ache in your knee, the yellowing family photos, the moment when you can’t quite remember your nephews name.

The little things that fall apart until that one day you just… stop.

Darohan@lemmy.zip on 04 Jun 08:14 next collapse

Sorta fun related fact, in the original text Death is actually the only one who has a name at all, the rest have just been inferred based on historical context.

See section “the Pale Horse”

Tryenjer@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 09:28 next collapse

It’s called Entropy and ironically it is also responsible for life.

A wall tends to fall apart (and not the other way around) because these individual pieces have greater degrees of freedom (of movement) than the wall itself. Living beings, through their exchanges with the environment, breathing, consuming and excreting, end up increasing the degrees of freedom of the matter in their vicinity.

In more concise words:

“Life, as a highly organized system, exists in a state of relatively low entropy, while the universe as a whole is constantly moving towards higher entropy (more disorder) according to the second law of thermodynamics. It may seem paradoxical, a violation of a fundamental law of physics, but life actually increases the overall entropy of the universe as it utilizes energy and resources to maintain its own order, eventually releasing waste and heat back into the environment.”

In short, life ultimately increases movement, transformation, decay, disorder and thus death.

Tangent5280@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 14:27 collapse

SUBSCRIBE

bitjunkie@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 14:18 collapse

It’s almost like iron age peasants weren’t the best people to write stories about the machinations of the universe

Wahots@pawb.social on 04 Jun 16:42 collapse

Pestilence, TACO Don and the Ketamine Kid. Just waiting on the fourth horseman. This is shaping up to be an amazing year. :p

mmddmm@lemm.ee on 04 Jun 00:03 next collapse

As scary as the article makes screworms look, that thing doing the calling is way scarier.

Oh, and the worm that died inside its brain once too.

fluxion@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 01:06 collapse

This explains everything going on in the world

cygnus@lemmy.ca on 03 Jun 23:29 next collapse

Ooh here she comes… Watch out boys, she’ll chew you up!

Prime_Minister_Keyes@lemm.ee on 04 Jun 12:50 collapse

She only comes out at night, though.

ElcaineVolta@kbin.melroy.org on 04 Jun 00:03 next collapse

it will make sense when the way we have treated animals undoes us completely.
like a trail of kerosene straight from fire plains to our front doors.

protist@mander.xyz on 04 Jun 00:34 collapse

Its important to note this fly has existed for millions of years laying its eggs in the flesh of mammals in the Americas, and that this has little to do with how we treat animals

ElcaineVolta@kbin.melroy.org on 04 Jun 01:28 collapse

obviously this is an ancient organism, but the fuel for it to ravage has never existed on this planet at this scale, it's a tinderbox of living tissue.

floofloof@lemmy.ca on 04 Jun 01:47 collapse

Plus we’re changing the climate to encourage its migration north.

oce@jlai.lu on 04 Jun 00:19 next collapse

So why is the “wall” not working anymore? Do we have a scientific explanation?

kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 02:35 next collapse

Was wondering myself. I’m worried we’ve done the same thing to these bugs that we did to bacterial pathogens with antibiotics. I.e. we found a REALLY powerful weapon, used it enough to massively alter the survival pressures of the species, but not enough to eradicate it entirely until they just genetically adapt around that new pressure. If some genetic lines of the species were more inclined to radiation resistance or to altered reproduction patterns/sexual selection, then those became the only genetic lines that can propogate. Would be slow at first, but exponential growth is a bitch. There is a finite window of generations to wipe them all out before they’re all replaced by the more resistant genetic lines. Super bugs.

isolatedscotch@discuss.tchncs.de on 04 Jun 03:12 next collapse

please stop playing plague inc with the world

The_v@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 10:53 collapse

Plagues are constantly happening as pathogens & pest continuously mutate. It’s a constant risk to ourselves and everything we eat.

anomnom@sh.itjust.works on 05 Jun 12:16 collapse

That’s not what happened. It’s good old human getting lazy and pandemic delays that allowed them past the Darien Gap. Followed by good old human smuggling cattle north into Mexico that made them move so fast.

seaplant@slrpnk.net on 04 Jun 02:55 collapse

How screwworms managed to jump the barrier in 2022 is not fully clear. But in the years immediately before, the coronavirus pandemic reportedly created supply-chain snarls at the fly factory in Panama and disrupted regular cattle inspections that might have set off the alarm bells earlier.

Still, the screwworm advanced relatively slowly through Panama and Costa Rica for the first couple of years.

800,000 cattle a year are raised illegally in nature reserves [in Central America] and then smuggled by boat and truck up to Mexico. This allowed the screwworm to spread much faster than it can fly [beginning in 2024]. The line of new screwworm cases followed known smuggling routes

PapaStevesy@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 04:28 next collapse

Maybe they learned to swim…

oce@jlai.lu on 04 Jun 04:45 collapse

Thanks

milkisklim@lemm.ee on 04 Jun 00:22 next collapse

Just in time for the new Kurtzgesagt video about them

mjhelto@lemm.ee on 04 Jun 11:12 next collapse

There is already one or you’re expecting one soon?

milkisklim@lemm.ee on 04 Jun 11:17 collapse

I was talking about this one

mjhelto@lemm.ee on 04 Jun 15:47 collapse

Someone posted it down below. I just hadn’t seen that comment, yet. Thank you for providing a link!

TheRealKuni@midwest.social on 04 Jun 12:13 next collapse
isolatedscotch@discuss.tchncs.de on 04 Jun 13:30 collapse

there’s also a more in-depth video by tom scott on a similar type of problem with an almost identical solution

danc4498@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 00:46 next collapse

Please no

wanderwisley@lemm.ee on 04 Jun 01:02 next collapse

Don’t worry fam we got the best team on this situation with the best leadership…and…oh shit never mind.

XiberKernel@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 01:52 next collapse

Hey Canadians, you guys still have science up there, right? I got a two-four of Molson or Labatt for ya if you can lend your continental neighbors a hand. Don’t do it for the US, but help out Mexico eh?

WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca on 04 Jun 02:50 collapse

Go suck a dick, really- we have been shouting for about 25 years that exactly this was going to happen and you told us “fuck off, you’re America’s hat”

WindyRebel@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 02:59 next collapse

You really are Canadian. That was more polite than we deserved.

YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today on 04 Jun 03:20 next collapse

Why you mad at Mexico?

XiberKernel@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 03:58 collapse

Eh, I’m from Detroit, we drink Canadian beer and would never speak ill of our southern neighbors. Heck, I grew up watching Hockey Night on CBC and listening to 89x. Can’t speak for the rest of the country though.

But for real, these critters sound scary, and apparently we’re all out of science. Or any sort of common sense. Yeah, we’re fucked.

sillyplasm@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 04 Jun 04:12 next collapse

is this something I should be freaking out about? I’d much rather not wind up with a bunch of larvae-infested wounds that I almost certainly would pick at.

StopSpazzing@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 04:33 collapse

Yes, if you live if NA

firstcoastnews.com/…/77-cc1136f8-ed6b-44a5-9848-6…

Dont click, you have been warned.

sillyplasm@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 04 Jun 04:35 collapse

*is from NA* fuck

Retrograde@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 17:16 collapse

deleted

SassyRamen@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 06:48 next collapse

RFK Jr “Yall hear a new worm just dropped! Gawd damn gotta get me one!” (Insert jackhammered freak shake voice)

edwardbear@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 09:08 collapse

you are the first person that I’ve seen to finally mention his voice. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with his entire vocal box?? How can a person, any person, listen to RFK Jr for any period of time, and think to himself “This person seems to know a lot about health”???

Tryenjer@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 09:25 next collapse

It’s the worms talking for him. He’s like that guy from Nightmare before Christmas.

TheRealKuni@midwest.social on 04 Jun 12:10 next collapse

you are the first person that I’ve seen to finally mention his voice. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with his entire vocal box??

I think most people don’t talk about it because there are plenty of things to complain about with RFK Jr, we don’t have to resort to ableism.

He has a condition called spasmodic dysphonia. Legendary NPR interviewer Diane Rehm also suffered from this condition, which eventually ended her radio career.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think it’s because of his terrible health decisions. It happens to some people.

edwardbear@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 21:53 collapse

Apologies, I never intended to sound ableist. I see now how my comment came across.

TheRealKuni@midwest.social on 05 Jun 00:02 collapse

I didn’t think you meant to, and I wasn’t trying to be accusatory. It’s a pretty fair assumption to think he messed himself up, judging by his…colorful habits.

prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 04 Jun 13:15 next collapse

All you need to do is look at the man… His face looks like an old catcher’s mitt

lagoon8622@sh.itjust.works on 04 Jun 14:21 next collapse

Popped American football lookin ass

sugarfoot00@lemmy.ca on 05 Jun 10:39 collapse

A balloon full of jam

YesButActuallyMaybe@lemmy.ca on 04 Jun 14:39 collapse

If you do heroine for 15 years like RFK jr did then you’ll suffer actual brain damage which will make you sound like that. Spasmodic dysphonia my ass, maybe shouldn’t have taken all that H eh? His brain worm was keeping the lights on, that dude gave way better advice than the human taco shell that is RFK jr

Akasazh@feddit.nl on 04 Jun 07:30 next collapse

You guys are screwed

ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 07:47 next collapse

Bye-bye US, hope you like getting eaten by worms

rpl6475@lemmy.ml on 04 Jun 08:09 next collapse

Serves them right for all the horrific factory farming of animals. The density of them surely must have increased their spread.

_AutumnMoon_@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 04 Jun 08:19 next collapse

the fucking what?

Ledericas@lemm.ee on 04 Jun 09:20 collapse

A worm that screws you

alphacyberranger@sh.itjust.works on 04 Jun 08:35 next collapse

Anybody who wants more info on this can watch this video youtu.be/zxq60I5RSW8

SalmiakDragon@feddit.nu on 04 Jun 13:51 collapse

From the one and only Kurzgesagt

SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world on 04 Jun 09:28 next collapse

Goodbye US dairy and meat industry. Hope it collapses US agriculture.

skozzii@lemmy.ca on 04 Jun 15:05 next collapse

Gold thing we have the most incompotent administration in history to deal with this one.

Wahots@pawb.social on 04 Jun 16:39 next collapse

We need to send them down there, the leaders need to see things firsthand in the screwworm swamps.

sugarfoot00@lemmy.ca on 05 Jun 10:38 collapse

The USDA was certainly not spared the doge axe, they closed offices all along what will soon be the battlefront in this war.

flango@lemmy.eco.br on 04 Jun 16:49 next collapse

New rfk jr companions (possibly NSFW)

youtu.be/kswcYfOtosk

Anonymaus@feddit.org on 04 Jun 18:54 next collapse

Oh no, anyway

termaxima@programming.dev on 04 Jun 19:09 next collapse

Turns out the worms don’t care about borders, and we shouldn’t have stopped at an imaginary line to save a few bucks.

Squizzy@lemmy.world on 05 Jun 10:44 collapse

It was a very well run and thought out practical plan, it was also cut by doge in breeding season.

Spacehooks@reddthat.com on 05 Jun 11:03 collapse

Rather go back to the bird flu please.