Scientists discovered that malaria\u002Dcarrying mosquitoes are drawn to specific chemicals found on people\u0027s skin.
Mosquitoes are humans’ most lethal predators, carrying diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever that kill more than half a million people each year.
To find out how these mosquitoes stalk their sleeping victims, scientists built an outdoor testing arena that’s about the size of two tennis courts, or 2,000 times the size of a typical laboratory setup. They let the mosquitoes acclimate to their open-air laboratory. Then, the researchers did everything they could to conjure the right mood.
With an infrared camera, scientists watched which hot plates became mosquito discos. They found that heat and carbon dioxide weren’t enough to attract the insects without the added element of human body odor.Article content “It’s a different mosquito – it’s a much more important mosquito,” Vosshall said of Anopheles gambiae. “This mosquito kills orders of magnitude more people … it’s a real apex predator of humans.”
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Scientists seek volunteers to help protect B.C. bats against deadly diseaseA bat signal has gone up in search of people who want to help track the nocturnal flying mammals in B.C., in the name of science and conservation.
Read more »
Government finally moving ahead with committee to review firings of two infectious disease scientistsControversy erupted around the high\u002Dprofile firing of two scientists under mysterious circumstances from Winnipeg Labs .
Read more »
Politics Briefing: Government names former judges to help MPs investigate firing of Winnipeg scientistsAlso: Future of Ontario’s Stellantis battery plant remains unclear as Ford ‘disappointed’ in Ottawa
Read more »
The world’s largest lakes are shrinking dramatically and scientists say they have figured out whyMore than half of the world’s largest lakes and reservoirs have lost significant amounts of water over the last three decades, according to a new study, which pins the blame largely on climate change and excessive water use.
Read more »
Scientists discover perplexing low-frequency noises in the Earth's atmosphereScientists have discovered mysterious sounds in the Earth’s stratosphere, the origins of which are unknown to the researchers.
Read more »
Italy's deadly floods just latest example of climate change's all-or-nothing weather extremesThe floods that sent rivers of mud tearing through towns in Italy's northeast are another drenching dose of climate change's all-or-nothing weather extremes, something that has been happening around the globe, scientists say.
Read more »