Imperial College London - Irreconcilable differences

Two strains of mosquito responsible for the majority of malaria transmission in Africa have evolved such significant genetic differences they are becoming different species. The finding by a team of scientists, including researchers at Imperial College London, relates to two strains of the Anopheles gambiae mosquito in sub-Saharan Africa. These strains, known as M and S, are physically identical; however, the new work shows that their genetic differences are such that they appear to be becoming different species. This raises concerns that efforts to control them may be effective against one strain but not the other.