Google’s parent company seeks EPA permit to release 32M lab-bred mosquitoes in Calif. and Fla.

A “biological initiative” linked to Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has prompted public debate after Verily, its life sciences subsidiary, filed a request with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for an Experimental Use Permit. If approved, the two-year project would involve the phased release of up to 32 million lab-bred male mosquitoes across California and Florida — specifically up to 16 million per state, with releases planned in Florida in the first year and California in the second.