I didn’t see any mention of Loretta Mayer’s work here. She is testing what seems to be a viable product in several major cities (here’s some NYT coverage). Do you see this work as having a different purpose/​target market?
(I only skimmed the post — sorry if I missed an obvious reference!)
So we definitely appreciate Dr. Mayer’s efforts, but we are yet to see rigorous peer-reviewed evidence that the interventions associated with her work are effective, and field implementation has not been designed in such a way that allows experts to isolate the effects of contraceptives from rodenticides. Some cities have already suspended their implementation of these contraceptives out of concerns that they are ineffective. It is certainly possible that these interventions work—but even then, there is almost certainly room for improvement (particularly for the island conservation context), which our open innovation program could help facilitate. Finally, given that any fertility control intervention will exert heavy selection pressures on rodents to evolve resistance, having multiple tools is likely necessary for lasting success.
I didn’t see any mention of Loretta Mayer’s work here. She is testing what seems to be a viable product in several major cities (here’s some NYT coverage). Do you see this work as having a different purpose/​target market?
(I only skimmed the post — sorry if I missed an obvious reference!)
Hey Aaron,
So we definitely appreciate Dr. Mayer’s efforts, but we are yet to see rigorous peer-reviewed evidence that the interventions associated with her work are effective, and field implementation has not been designed in such a way that allows experts to isolate the effects of contraceptives from rodenticides. Some cities have already suspended their implementation of these contraceptives out of concerns that they are ineffective. It is certainly possible that these interventions work—but even then, there is almost certainly room for improvement (particularly for the island conservation context), which our open innovation program could help facilitate. Finally, given that any fertility control intervention will exert heavy selection pressures on rodents to evolve resistance, having multiple tools is likely necessary for lasting success.