Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Here’s why mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others
Are you bitten by mosquitoes more than others around you? Although mosquitoes don’t bother us so much in large cities any longer, they are there to bite us when we go out for a picnic or hiking. Moreover, in sub-tropical or tropical regions, they are vectors for dengue, yellow fever, malaria, and Zika. We know that body heat and carbon dioxide that is released from our bodies attract mosquitoes. But it would be helpful to find what else attracts mosquitoes so that more effective mosquito repellent could be produced. Recently, researchers tried to find what elements from our bodies attract mosquitos. They asked volunteers to wear nylon stockings for six hours a day over several days and used them to find which element attract more mosquitos. They found that carboxylic acids, large molecules that produce the characteristic smell of humans, attract more mosquitoes. That’s good for those who magnet mosquitoes. However, as we all breathe and release CO2, we still need to cover our skin when we go outside in summer or in warm regions.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about this unique research about mosquito magnets.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/22/world/mosquito-bite-attraction-smell-scn-trnd/index.html
Here’s why mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others
Are you bitten by mosquitoes more than others around you? Although mosquitoes don’t bother us so much in large cities any longer, they are there to bite us when we go out for a picnic or hiking. Moreover, in sub-tropical or tropical regions, they are vectors for dengue, yellow fever, malaria, and Zika. We know that body heat and carbon dioxide that is released from our bodies attract mosquitoes. But it would be helpful to find what else attracts mosquitoes so that more effective mosquito repellent could be produced. Recently, researchers tried to find what elements from our bodies attract mosquitos. They asked volunteers to wear nylon stockings for six hours a day over several days and used them to find which element attract more mosquitos. They found that carboxylic acids, large molecules that produce the characteristic smell of humans, attract more mosquitoes. That’s good for those who magnet mosquitoes. However, as we all breathe and release CO2, we still need to cover our skin when we go outside in summer or in warm regions.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about this unique research about mosquito magnets.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/22/world/mosquito-bite-attraction-smell-scn-trnd/index.html
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