Are you a mosquito magnet? It could be your smell
A new study finds that some people really are "mosquito magnets" and it probably has to do with the way they smell......»»
RNA editing plays critical role in fruit flies" sense of smell and social interactions
Imagine your DNA as a set of instructions or a recipe book that tells your body how to make everything it needs to function, from proteins to cells. Every time the body needs to build something, it reads these instructions. But sometimes, the body ca.....»»
Researchers say 40% of UK seabird species are in trouble—bird flu, climate change, overfishing to blame
A visit to a seabird colony in summer is an assault on the senses. First there's the noise, then the overwhelming ammonia smell that stains the memory, and then the swirl of color and activity on the white-washed cliffs......»»
New discoveries about how mosquitoes mate may help the fight against malaria
A high-pitched buzzing sound in your ear is an unmistakable sign that a female mosquito is out on the hunt—for they, not males, drink blood. Hearing that tone might make you turn to try to swat the pest. But for a male mosquito, that tone means it'.....»»
Molecularly imprinted polymers help get the stink out of smoke-tainted wine
Wildfires can damage crops, even if flames come nowhere near the plants. One outcome can be an unpleasant flavor and smell of wine that is made from grapes exposed to smoke. But researchers report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry tha.....»»
Athens faces new dangers as forest fires edge closer
With the smell still lingering in its suburbs after Greece's worst wildfire this year, floods and pollution now threaten Athens, experts say......»»
Q&A: Protecting people and animals from eastern equine encephalitis
With mosquito-borne disease eastern equine encephalitis currently circulating in New England, Emily Reinhardt '20 (CAHNR), assistant clinical professor, and Ash Nakashima, graduate student, in UConn's Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science.....»»
Mapping the sex life of malaria parasites at single cell resolution reveals genetics underlying transmission
Malaria is caused by a eukaryotic microbe of the Plasmodium genus, and is responsible for more deaths than all other parasitic diseases combined. In order to transmit from the human host to the mosquito vector, the parasite has to differentiate into.....»»
Mosquitoes sense infrared from body heat to help track humans down, study shows
While a mosquito bite is often no more than a temporary bother, in many parts of the world it can be scary. One mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause over 100,000,000 cases of dengue, yellow fever, Zika and other diseases ev.....»»
Town urges curfew over mosquito-spread disease that kills up to 50% of people
Eastern Equine Encephalitis is very rare in the US, but when it strikes, it's bad. Enlarge / A mosquito collected to test for mosquito-borne diseases. (credit: Getty | Jon Cherry) A small town in Massachusetts is urging.....»»
Mosquitoes use gut bacteria to fight the malaria they transmit—scientists are exploring how to use this
The months of September to May are an unfortunate season in South Africa: malaria season. The mosquito-borne disease is found in the north-eastern districts of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces......»»
Lemurs use long-term memory, smell, and social cues to find food
How do foraging animals find their food? A new study by New York University researchers shows that lemurs use smell, social cues, and long-term memory to locate hidden fruit—a combination of factors that may have deep evolutionary roots......»»
Smells may prime our gut to fight off infection
Many organisms react to the smell of deadly pathogens by reflexively avoiding them. But a recent study from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that the nematode C. elegans also reacts to the odor of pathogenic bacteria by preparing its int.....»»
Are you a mosquito magnet? Science says you might be
If you feel like you're the victim of itchy mosquito bites more often than others, it may not be all in your head......»»
Smell reports reveal the need to expand urban air quality monitoring, say researchers
Ever wondered if your neighborhood odor could be impacting your health? University of British Columbia researchers have uncovered surprising insights into the Vancouver region's "smellscape" using data from the Smell Vancouver app. Analyzing 549 repo.....»»
Air pollution makes it harder for bees to smell flowers
Contaminants can alter plant odors and warp insects’ senses, disrupting the process of pollination. Scientists are uncovering various ways that air pollution can interfere with the ability of insects to pollinate plants. (credi.....»»
Mosquitos more resilient to saltwater than previously thought
Dutch mosquitos are more resilient to saltwater than previously thought. Environmental scientist Sam Boerlijst discovered this during his Ph.D. research at the Hortus botanicus. This knowledge is crucial for understanding how mosquito-borne disease t.....»»
New car smell reaches toxic levels on hot days, researchers find
A study of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by new cars on hot summer days finds concerning levels of formaldehyde and other aldehydes......»»
Scientists uncover fundamental rules for how dengue virus infects its mosquito and human hosts
Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease......»»
Smell of human stress can affect dogs" emotions, leading them to make more pessimistic choices
Dogs experience emotional contagion from the smell of human stress, leading them to make more 'pessimistic' choices, new research finds. The University of Bristol-led study, published in Scientific Reports on 22 July, is the first to test how human s.....»»
Mosquito Bloodlust Is Driven by These Two Hormones
Mosquitoes carry a pair of hormones, one of which drives bloodlust while the other signals satiation, scientists say.....»»