Question

Modified mosquitoes have been released in Ohio.

Answer 1

This statement is false. According to AP News, the video that created the claim that Oxitec genetically modified mosquitos have been released in Ohio, was actually a video of an air show in which smoke was released. I confirmed this fact with two sources. First, I visited the Oxitec website, and to deploy their genetically modified mosquitos, they use boxes that are placed on the ground. Their release method does not include the use of planes. Additionally, according to an article by the Environmental Protection Agency, "In April 2020, EPA approved the initial Experimental Use Permit (EUP), which allowed Oxitec to field test the use of OX5034 mosquitoes on 6,240 acres of Monroe County, Florida, and 360 acres of Harris County, Texas, through April 2022 to evaluate the effectiveness of OX5034 mosquitoes at reducing local mosquito populations." So it is not possible that the video is showing the release of modified mosquitos over Ohio because planes are not the method of release and Oxitec does not have permission from the EPA to release mosquitos in the Ohio area.

Comments

The tidbit about the EPA's approved use of Oxitec is really valuable to the fact-check. Thanks for clarifying!

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I really liked your fact-check because it embedded quotes and the sources within your answer. It is very useful in clarifying the claim.

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This was a really well done fact check. AP news is a trustworthy source, and referencing the EPA makes what you're saying reliable.

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Great job using multiple reliable sources. This is a really well done fact check. Using an article from the EPA was very smart and made this a good fact check

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I really enjoy the plethora of reputable sources used in this article. The usage of AP News, along with the EPA is a good way of digging deep into these with reputable, government sources. Good work, this is thorough!

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Really thorough fact check! I thought it was smart you went straight to the source through Oxitec's website and also added two very trustworthy sources in the EPA and AP News.

Answer 2

I found an AP article that says this claim is false. Clips of "mosquitos" falling from planes have been circulating, but there are no mosquitos descending from the planes. One video shows smoke from a Disneyland show while another shows an airplane releasing smoke from an air show in Cincinnati. Additionally, some believe mosquitos are being released as part of an initiative backed by Bill Gates. While there is one company in the United States that releases genetically modified mosquitos, they do so from boxes on the ground and are not backed by Bill Gates.

Article: https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-videos-mosquitoes-gmo-planes-false-800699215769#

Comments

This is a really good source; it even has an "AP fact check" label right at the top. Great find, and good work with presenting the most relevant information.

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Nicely put! Sounds like some rumors that got out of hand.

Answer 3

This statement is actually untrue, but I can see why it was made. There have been claims that black substances in the sky in California and Ohio show aircrafts releasing "genetically modified mosquitoes" that are supposedly backed by Bill Gates. 

However, according to AP News via its fact-checking, the video clip showcases smoke from a show at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, and the other clip is footage from an air show in Cincinnati. Furthermore, the only company that would release genetically modified mosquitoes is not one funded by Bill Gates, and it does not take place in the sky, only from boxes on the ground.

Another news site, USA Today, further identifies that the Cincinnati video was shot over Labor Day weekend, and its popularity rose on Instagram with more than 2,000 likes in five days before it was deleted; however, other versions would soon circulate on Facebook and X. The article also states that the Environmental Protection Agency did not announce/approve of any program with genetically modified mosquitoes in Ohio; the black substance in the video is smoke.

Both articles seem to contain similar information on the matter, so I would not trust that the black substance is genetically modified mosquitoes.

Comments

Good use of the sources and also a nice job explaining what the source was talking about!

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You have a good array of sources and you explain them all really well. I think how you used AP news as it is very reliable. Good fact check!

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This answer does a great job of breaking down the information that the author has found.  it sites sources and explains there relevance well.

Answer 4

This statement is false. According to politicfact.com and apnews.com, things started with a TikTok video showing that the planes are releasing modified mosquitos in the sky of Ohio. The video presented a plane releasing a black substance in the sky. However, this is actually a video of a performance in the amusement park. There is no further evidence proving that this is the footage of planes releasing modified mosquitos. In addition, the only case in the U.S. that releases modified mosquitos is put in a box and released on the ground instead of the sky. Based on this information confirmed by apnews and politicfact, this is a false claim, which the user poses misleading videos on social media.

 

Genetically modified mosquitoes aren’t being released from aircraft around the US | AP News

 

PolitiFact | Pesky conspiracy theory about GMO mosquitoes is back. Here’s why they aren’t in Ohio.

Answer 5

This is false. The AP found that multiple videos claiming to show modified mosquitoes being released from airplanes were instead showing airplanes releasing smoke as a part of air shows. They also mentioned that "The only company in the U.S. that releases genetically modified mosquitoes does so from boxes on the ground."

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-videos-mosquitoes-gmo-planes-false-800699215769#:~:text=Genetically%20modified%20mosquitoes%20aren't%20being%20released%20from%20aircraft%20around%20the%20US,-A%20group%20of&text=CLAIM%3A%20Videos%20of%20black%20substances,AP'S%20ASSESSMENT%3A%20False.

USA Today found the same in their fact check, stating that "The photo in the post shows a plane trailing smoke, not mosquitoes, during an air show over Labor Day weekend near Cincinnati."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/09/19/photo-shows-plane-trailing-harmless-smoke-not-mosquitoes-fact-check/70868383007/

PolitiFact also found the same, adding that "A trail of smoke seen in videos from one of the planes was from smoke oil, a tool commonly used by aerobatic planes to increase visibility."

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/sep/12/instagram-posts/pesky-conspiracy-theory-about-gmo-mosquitoes-is-ba/

Comments

Providing us with so many good sources like these really helps! You explain each one very well and each source really backs up your claims.

Answer 6

This claim is false. While doing my research I came across a couple of different articles fact-checking this assumption. According to USA Today, the trail behind the plane was made up of smoke from burnt mineral oil. "The aircraft is equipped with a smoke system that sprays "mineral oil into the hot exhaust of the engine, which vaporizes into a harmless cloud of smoke," Stitt told USA TODAY in an email. "It is very common in airshows everywhere." Additionally, in AP News, mentions "The only company in the U.S. that releases genetically modified mosquitos does so from boxes on the ground and its work here is not funded by Gates." Therefore, this claim founded on TikTok is not true.

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-videos-mosquitoes-gmo-planes-false-800699215769

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/09/19/photo-shows-plane-trailing-harmless-smoke-not-mosquitoes-fact-check/70868383007/