Here's How to Trick Mosquitoes From Biting You, According to Science
2015.07.08
If you're like me, then you somehow attract mosquitoes. You're like a rave party with free entry and drink-all-you- can coupons lying around. But now, scientists have finally found a way to stop them from sucking on you.
According to scientists at Texas A&M University, they were able to trick the mozzies by recoding the bacteria on our skin. The bacteria found produces bio-chemicals that communicate signals to mosquitoes, allowing them to track us down.
According to the Smithsonian:
This cell-to-cell communication is used to control or prevent particular behaviors within a community, such as swarming or producing biofilm, like the formation of plaque on our teeth. To start a conversation, bacteria produce compounds that contain specific biochemical messages. The more of these compounds that are produced, the more concentrated the message becomes, until it reaches a threshold that causes a group response. Behaviors are more likely to occur as the message gets ‘louder’—and that makes it easy for other organisms to eavesdrop on the bacterial chatter.”They found that if they removed the mechanism in the bacteria that produces "quorom sensing," mosquitoes wouldn't be able to "hear" it.
In other words, scientists want to be able to modify the bacteria on our skin with chemicals that will just confuse the hell out of mosquitoes.
But till then, we'll have to rely on our fast slapping hands to smash them into obliteration.
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