Imagine an insect repellent that not only is thousands of times more effective than DEET – the active ingredient in most commercial mosquito repellents – but also works against all types of insects, including flies, moths and ants. That possibility has been created by the discovery of a new class of insect repellent made in the laboratory of Vanderbilt Professor of Biological Sciences and … [Read more...]
Mosquitos Make Proteins to Handle Heat Spike of Hot Blood Meals
Mosquitoes make proteins to help them handle the stressful spike in body temperature that’s prompted by their hot blood meals, a new study has found. The mosquito’s eating pattern is inherently risky: Taking a blood meal involves finding warm-blooded hosts, avoiding detection, penetrating tough skin and evading any host immune response, not to mention the slap of a human hand. Until … [Read more...]