It's been estimated that mosquitoes have killed half of all the people who ever lived...?

Question

So if someone heard that as they were driving along, and they were so amazed that they accidentally drove over a cliff, could the mosquitoes chalk up another "kill"?

Answer 1

Any disease which uses the mosquito as a vector (carrier) will probably be very successful as a disease. Consider that Malaria kills about 2 million people in Africa every year. That is a lot of people. When you consider that a lot of those are children, you could imagine the impact that has as a selective pressure for natural selection. It is for this reason that many variant haemoglobins have arisen and become widespread. Haemoglobin S (sickle Hb) and thalassaemia are extremely common genetic abnormalities worldwide, driven purely by the increased chance of survival these conditions, in the heterozygous form, give against malaria.

The Zen answer to your second part - If a tree falls in the forest......?

Answer 2

As for that "estimated" mosquito kill let me give you this phrase "89.7% of all statistics are made up". Now to answer your question, yes the mosquitoes indirectly killed you with that amazing but obviously false statement because without mosquitoes that "statistic" wouldn't even exist.

Answer 3

Yes. The nearest mosquito would immediately draw another little tick mark on its proboscis and do a savage dance of victory.