Bill Gates Unleashes Mosquitoes on Unsuspecting Audience

Posted on February 5, 2009

Bill Gates released a bunch of mosquitoes on the unsuspecting audience at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Conference. Gates was trying to demonstrate how easily malaria is spread. The mosquitoes Gates released did not carry the disease.

"Malaria is spread by mosquitoes," Gates said while opening a jar onstage at a gathering known to attract technology kings, politicians, and Hollywood stars.

"I brought some. Here I'll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected."

Gates waited a minute or so before assuring the audience the liberated insects were malaria-free.

TED curator Chris Anderson fired back at the legendary computer software maker, joking that the headline for the video of his talk to be posted online at Ted.com would be "Gates releases more bugs into the world."

It sounds like that it was an effective demonstration. Gates' mosquito release is getting a lot of media attention which helps focus on attention on the need to stop malaria.


More from Science Space & Robots