“Mosquito Research: Discovering How They Detect Humans from Afar”

2023-05-20 10:08:53

Would you be ready to sleep peacefully in a tent near hundreds of mosquitoes? It is a surprising scientific experiment which has just taken place in Zambia. The results help to better understand how some mosquitoes can spot humans from very far away.

With the return of sunny days, they will return: mosquitoes. Humans don’t seem not all are equal when it comes to mosquito bites, whose very sophisticated detection system still intrigues scientists. In a new study, published on May 19, 2023 in the journal Current Biology and spotted by Gizmodo, researchers are wondering how mosquitoes manage to find us from so far away. Even when you are hundreds of meters away from their trunk.

In order to determine this, scientists have used drastic means. They used a outdoor ice rink sized testing arena in Zambia », summary a press release presenting the work. Mosquitoes were free to fly inside this giant cage. Tents have even been set up and connected to the giant trap: humans have spent a few nights there – fortunately, without ever being in direct contact with mosquitoes.

A giant feast for mosquitoes

This 1,000 cubic meter arena allowed scientists to find that human body odor is indeed a key element

[Lire la suite]

Photo credits of the image of one: The giant mosquito arena. // Source : Via Twitter @McMenimanLab

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