While some people seem to be a constant target for mosquitoes, others are "repulsed" by them, according to the Express .
However, scientists have now solved the question of why some people are bothered by these buzzing insects while others are less bothered.
While some people seem to be a constant target for mosquitoes, others are repelled by them.
According to new research, published in the scientific journal Current Biology on May 19, armpit odor can help mosquitoes smell and find you.
Small insects are attracted to body odor, which they can smell from a distance of 106 meters.
New research from Johns Hopkins University (USA) monitored the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, released in an outdoor space the size of an ice skating rink in Zambia.
This is the largest system to assess olfactory preferences for any mosquito species in the world , said study first author Diego Giraldo, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins University. And it’s an incredibly sensitive sensory environment for mosquitoes.
The team released 200 hungry mosquitoes each night to observe how often they landed on evenly spaced pads heated to 35 degrees Celsius, simulating human skin.
Researchers have identified 40 chemicals that are emitted by all humans, at varying levels.
Body odor turns out to be the most attractive bait for mosquitoes. People with this special smell are 100 times more attractive to mosquitoes than other people.
They then discovered that the people who attracted the most mosquitoes had higher levels of carboxylic acids, which help create a distinctive body odor when they interact with bacteria in the body.
The results showed that body odor turned out to be the most attractive bait for mosquitoes. People with this special smell were 100 times more attractive to mosquitoes than others, according to Express .
On the contrary, mosquitoes seem to be "disgusted" by the smell of eucalyptol essential oil.
In a follow-up experiment, research leader Dr Conor McMeniman said: These mosquitoes usually hunt in the hours before and after midnight. They follow the scent and warmth emitted by humans, and they usually enter homes and bite people between 10pm and 2am, according to Express.
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