UC NEWS - 2020’s news cycle was dominated by COVID-19 stories, and for good reason: It’s been a year like no other. However, there were plenty of groundbreaking discoveries in 2020 that didn’t get the spotlight they deserved. These stories would have been big news in any other year, but were often overshadowed by the pandemic. Here’s some of what you may have missed while you were busy washing your hands.
Mosquitos are the deadliest animal known to mankind, causing over a million deaths per year. But a new mosquito control method — validated by UC Berkeley researchers this summer after a trial in Indonesia — cut dengue infections by 77 percent. Mosquitoes infected with the bacteria Wolbachia were unable to pass dengue on to people, but were otherwise unaffected. The breakthrough has the potential to scale to cities around the globe, helping to eradicate not just dengue, but other virus-borne diseases like Zika and yellow fever.