How Mosquito Brains Encode Human Odor So They Can Seek Us Out
Published:05 May2022 Source:Princeton University
Mosquitoes. Bane of backyard picnics -- and deadly in Zika- and dengue-prone regions.
Most of the world's mosquitos are opportunistic, willing to drink blood from any nearby source. But in some regions, the mosquitoes that carry Zika, dengue and yellow fever -- Aedes aegypti -- have evolved to bite humans almost exclusively. But to succeed as a specialized feeder, depending on just one species -- ours -- to survive, they must have evolved incredibly precise targeting strategies. How do they do it?