Search
Related Links

 

 

Informative Articles

Monkey Ears
Just the other day I was talking to Ziggy, my Helping Hands capuchin monkey, and she looked at me quizzically and said, "Huh? Speak up!" I have been operating under the assumption that her eyesight and hearing was equal to or better than ours. What...
Rock of Ages
William Jennings Bryan said: "Christians desire that their children shall be taught all the sciences, but they do not want them to lose sight of the Rock of Ages while they study the age of rocks." It may seem incredible to those who do not know...
Straddling the Science/Magic Line: A Look At Magnetic Therapy
What's the difference between science and magic? It's our understanding of what makes something happen. If magic is hocus-pocus, science is simply well understood hocus-pocus. Fire? Solar eclipse? Volcanic eruption? Earthquake? Once we can explain...
The Finite Element Method: A Four-Article Series - Part 1
The following four-article series was published in a newsletter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) . It serves as an introduction to the recent analysis discipline known as the finite element method . The author is an...
The Roots of Pedophilia
Pedophiles are attracted to prepubescent children and act on their sexual fantasies. It is a startling fact that the etiology of this paraphilia is unknown. Pedophiles comes from all walks of life and have no common socio-economic background....
 
Mosquitoes like my blood

Here in Mauritius, mosquitoes are in paradise. The male mosquitoes have all the fruits they’ll ever dream of – god knows whether they actually dream – all year long while the female mosquitoes can choose from a numerous number of tourists to feed on.

It is of no surprise that tourists get bitten more than we, locals do. And the reaction which occurs on the tourists’ skin is quiet unusual to me. A large red swelling develops. It is about twice the size that the one which would have formed on my skin if I was to get bitten. Apparently the bite that a tourist receives is also more irritant. In my opinion, this is because foreigners are not as used to get mosquito bites than Mauritians do. But one thing is for sire though: some people do get bitten more than others.

Why is this so? Or rather, why are some people bitten less? James Logan, a research student at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has found that some people give off ‘masking’ odours that prevent mosquitoes from detecting them. Another study, done earlier by Professor John Pickett and his team, showed that the number of flies circulating around


a herd depended on certain cows being present. Professor Pickett and his team discovered that unattractive – to mosquitoes at least - individuals gave out different chemical signals from other cows. To be sure about this fact, the unattractive cows were removed and the number of flies bothering the herd did indeed increase. These ‘ordinary’ cows had not been camouflaged by the unattractive cows’ special ‘masking’ odour and therefore the flies were attracted to the ‘ordinary’ cows.

After some other experiments, it was concluded that the famous ‘masking’ odours were acting as repellents or as a cover up. This finding could lead to a new type of insect repellent. These would be both safer and more effective.

Next time you get bitten, just think that the mosquitoes are not attracted by your ‘sweet’ blood but by your own odour.

About the Author

Khalil A.Cassimally is the editor in chief of Astronomy Journal and Astronomy Journal Ezine. He is also the co-founder of the RCPL Astronomy Club.
He is currently Senior Columnist at BackWash.com and Columnist for bbc.co.uk h2g2 The Post where he writes 'Not Scientific Science' column.

 

Science/AAAS | Scientific research, news and career information
International weekly science journal, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
www.sciencemag.org
 
Science/AAAS | Table of Contents: 1 December 2006; 314 (5804)
This Week in Science: Editor summaries of this week's papers. Science 1 December 2006: 1349. ... 2006 American Association for the Advancement of Science. ...
www.sciencemag.org
 
Science.gov : FirstGov for Science - Government Science Portal
Science.gov is a gateway to government science information provided by US Government science agencies, including research and development results.
www.science.gov
 
ScienceDaily: Your source for the latest research news and science ...
ScienceDaily -- the Internet's premier online science magazine and science news web site -- brings you the latest discoveries in science, health & medicine, ...
www.sciencedaily.com
 
Science News - New York Times
Find breaking news, science news & multimedia on biology, space, the environment, health, NASA, weather, drugs, heart disease, cancer, AIDS, mental health ...
www.nytimes.com
 
Science News Online
Weekly magazine offers featured articles from the current issue along with special online-only features. Includes photo collection, archives, ...
www.sciencenews.org
 
Science in the Yahoo! Directory
Explore the fields of astronomy, biology, geology, mathematics, and physics and all of their related disciplines with resources designed for professionals, ...
dir.yahoo.com
 
Open Directory - Science
Agriculture (2454); Anomalies and Alternative Science (525); Astronomy (4208); Biology (20593); Chemistry (4852); Computer Science@ (2358) ...
dmoz.org
 
BBC - Science & Nature
The best of BBC Science and Nature, from TV and radio, to the web and beyond. Take a tour from the smallest atoms, to the largest whales and the most ...
www.bbc.co.uk
 
Science - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sciences versus Science: the plural of the term is often used but is difficult to ... Science education is also a very vibrant field of study and research. ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
Popular Science
Monthly magazine about current science and technology.
www.popsci.com
 
Science/AAAS | ScienceNOW: The Latest News Headlines from the ...
AAAS web magazine. Some free sample stories, subscription required for full text.
sciencenow.sciencemag.org
 
ScienceCareers.org | Science Jobs, Funding, Meetings, and Advice ...
Searchable database of jobs, sorted by field specialty. Can post resume and curriculum vitae. Includes tips for improving the workplace for employers and ...
sciencecareers.sciencemag.org
 
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Research news, issue papers. Educational programs, science policy (US and international).
www.aaas.org
 
NASA - Science@NASA
News and features about NASA research, aimed at the general public. Includes sections on astronomy, space science, beyond rocketry, living in space, ...
science.nasa.gov
 
Science NetLinks: Resources for Teaching Science
Resources for K-12 science educators.
www.sciencenetlinks.com
 
Cool Science for Curious Kids
Fun and interactive site to help kids appreciate science. Why are snakes like lizards, and monkeys like moose? Find out here.
www.hhmi.org
 
Welcome to the Science Museum
London museum and library of science. Exhibitions cover all areas of science and technology. Includes online exhibits and a learning area.
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
 
New Scientist - International News, Ideas, Innovation
Weekly science and technology news magazine, considered by some to be the world's best, with diverse subject matter. Articles from current issue and ...
www.newscientist.com
 
CNN.com - Science and Space
Offers news stories related environmental issues, archeology, astronomy, technology, geology and other science topics.
www.cnn.com