Why do mosquitoes bite you more than your friends? Science reveals the surprising skin chemistry behind it
A Scent Too Strong to Resist
In a 2022 study conducted by researchers at
The Rockefeller University
and published in the prestigious journal
Cell
, scientists uncovered that certain individuals produce significantly higher levels of
carboxylic acids
on their skin. These acids, a component of natural
body odor
, seem to act as a siren song to
Aedes aegypti
, the mosquito species infamous for spreading diseases like dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
The research involved an unusual but telling experiment. Volunteers wore nylon stockings on their arms to collect their body scent. These were then cut into small pieces and placed in chambers with mosquitoes. What followed was a surprising and consistent pattern: the insects flocked to certain samples again and again, completely ignoring others.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Access all TV channels anywhere, anytime
Techno Mag
Learn More
Undo
Meet 'Subject 33': The Mosquito World's Celebrity
One particular participant, known only as 'Subject 33,' was an irresistible hit. 'They won a hundred games,' said lead researcher Leslie Vosshall. 'They were totally undefeated.' In every round, the mosquitoes were drawn to this subject's scent more than anyone else's. The secret? An unusually high presence of carboxylic acids on their skin.
This isn't just a fluke. These scent-based preferences remained stable over time, suggesting that
mosquito attraction
isn't just about what you eat or what you wear—it's rooted in your body chemistry.
You Might Also Like:
Why is it always the 'Orange Cat'? Scientists uncover the genetic secret that could prove they are freaks of nature
Your Skin's Chemical Climate Matters
Although the study doesn't confirm why mosquitoes are obsessed with carboxylic acids, it strongly suggests that an individual's unique 'skin climate'—the natural cocktail of chemicals we exude—is what seals the deal for mosquitoes.
And while the researchers couldn't strip these acids from the high-attraction subjects to prove their exact role, they did note that human skin odor is a complex blend of many compounds. This study, however, focused exclusively on those with carboxylic acid groups, providing a promising lead in the quest to understand mosquito preferences.
iStock
This scent-based preference, which remains consistent over time, could pave the way for more effective mosquito repellents and disease prevention.
The Bigger Picture: More Than Just Itchy Bites
This isn't just about annoyance. Mosquitoes aren't merely buzzing pests—they are deadly vectors that contribute to over 700 million infections globally each year. Understanding why some people are more prone to bites could change the game in
mosquito control
and repellent design.
Future repellents might target the specific chemical signatures mosquitoes crave, offering more personalized protection—especially crucial for vulnerable populations in disease-prone regions.
You Might Also Like:
What is your favourite colour? Does it really matter, psychologist reveals
So, Why You?
If you've ever joked that you're a 'mosquito magnet,' it might be more scientific than you think. Your skin may be giving off signals that these insects find impossible to ignore. Until science finds a way to mask or neutralize those signals, your best defense might still be the classic combo of repellents, covered clothing, and clever timing.
But at least now, you can say: it's not you. It's your chemistry.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Hypertension no bar: Insurance agency asked to pay 2L claim
Ghaziabad: Ruling that medical claims cannot be rejected on the grounds that a person has hypertension, the district consumer disputes redressal commission (DCDRC) has directed an insurance firm to pay Rs 2.1 lakh to a Ghaziabad man whose request was denied. DCDRC president Praveen Kumar Jain and members RP Singh and Shailja Sachan also ordered the insurer – Religare Health Insurance Company – to pay Kapil Anand Rs 5,000 as compensation for litigation costs and denial of the claim filed in 2019. The payment must be made within 45 days, and failure to comply will attract 6% simple interest on the outstanding amount. In a plea filed with the consumer commission, Anand said he'd bought the Rs 5-lakh policy from Religare after paying a premium of Rs 17,150 on March 3, 2019. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida In Oct that year, he felt "discomfort" in his chest and was admitted to Yashoda Hospital. "… doctors diagnosed me with a blockage in the heart and I underwent the medical procedure of stenting in the heart," he said. The third-party administrator, he said, refused to pay his hospital bill of Rs 2,16,482 lakh, forcing him to pay it on his own. Religare's counsel argued before the commission that Anand did not disclose his history of hypertension at the time of buying the policy. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like She Was Everyone's Dream Girl In 90's, This Is Her Now The Latest Article Undo "The discharge slip, consultation papers, and past history of the patient mentioned that he suffered from hypertension for the last two years and he did not disclose this at the time of purchasing the policy," the counsel said, adding that any condition linked to hypertension cannot be honoured for a claim. The commission in its July 26 order cited two previous judgments by NCDRC-New Delhi to rule in favour of Anand. In the 2013 Ravindra Bindra vs National Insurance Company case, the Delhi commission had ruled that hypertension history could not be grounds for rejecting heart treatment claims, it said. In another 2013 case (Satish Chandra Madan vs Bajaj Alliance), NCDRC rejected the argument that hypertension was a chronic disease. "In the case Satish Chandra Madan Vs Bajal Alliance General Insurance Company, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held that the petitioner was a patient of hypertension before securing the insurance policy. Hypertension is a common ailment that can be treated through medicines and it is not necessary that hypertension was linked to heart attack. Hypertension is a lifestyle disease and by rejecting the claim, insurance company is guilty of deficiency in service," the Ghaziabad commission said in its order. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Israeli forces kills 27 aid-seekers in Gaza as Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site
Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians seeking food on Sunday in Gaza , according to hospital officials and witnesses, who described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged around aid sites, as the malnutrition-related death toll also rose. Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts have warned is facing famine because of Israel 's blockade and nearly two-year offensive. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category healthcare Healthcare Others Operations Management CXO Management MBA Project Management MCA Digital Marketing Data Analytics Finance PGDM Technology Artificial Intelligence Design Thinking Leadership Public Policy Data Science others Data Science Degree Product Management Cybersecurity Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow CERT-IIML Healthcare Management India Starts on undefined Get Details Yousef Abed, among the crowds en route to a distribution point, described coming under what he called indiscriminate fire, seeing at least three people bleeding on the ground. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like When the Camera Clicked at the Worst Possible Time Read More Undo "I couldn't stop and help them because of the bullets," he said. Southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital said they received bodies from routes to the sites, including eight from Teina, about three kilometers (1.8 miles) away from a distribution site in Khan Younis, which is operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the private U.S.- and Israeli-backed contractor that took over aid distribution more than two months ago. Live Events The hospital received one body from Shakoush, hundreds of meters (yards) north of a GHF site in Rafah. Another nine aid-seekers were killed by troops near the Morag corridor, it said. Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, seeking food in Teina and Morag, told The Associated Press shootings occurred on the routes to distribution points, which are in military zones secured by Israeli forces. They said they saw soldiers open fire on hungry crowds advancing toward troops. Further north in central Gaza, hospital officials described a similar episode, with Israeli troops opening fire Sunday morning toward crowds of Palestinians trying to reach GHF's fourth and northernmost distribution point. "Troops were trying to prevent people from advancing. They opened fire and we fled. Some people were shot," said Hamza Matter, one of the aid seekers. At least five people were killed and 27 wounded near GHF's site close to Netzarim corridor, Awda Hospital said. Eyewitnesses seeking food have reported similar gunfire attacks in recent days near aid distribution sites, leaving dozens of Palestinians dead. The United Nations reported 859 people were killed near GHF sites from May 27 to July 31 and that hundreds more have been slain along the routes of U.N.-led food convoys. The GHF launched in May as Israel sought an alternative to the U.N.-run system, which had safely delivered aid for much of the war but was accused by Israel of allowing Hamas, which guarded convoys early in the war, to siphon supplies. Israel has not offered evidence of widespread theft. The U.N. has denied it. GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Israel's military has said it only fires warning shots as well. Both claimed the death tolls have been exaggerated Israel's military did immediately responded to questions about Sunday's reported fatalities. GHF's Media Office said there was no gunfire "near or at our sites." Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry said six more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours. It said Sunday's casualties brought the death toll among Palestinian adults to 82 over the five weeks since the ministry started counting deaths among adults in late June. Malnutrition-related deaths are not included in the ministry's count of war casualties. Ninety-three children have also died of causes related to malnutrition since the war in Gaza started in 2023, the ministry said. Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir prayed at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, a move swiftly condemned as a incitement by Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan and Saudi Arabia. At the hilltop compound in the Old City revered by Jews and Muslims, Ben Gvir called on Israel to annex the Gaza Strip and encourage Palestinians to leave. "This is the only way that we will return the hostages and win the war," he said. His visit on Sunday in honor of Tisha B'av, a day in which Jews mourn the destruction of two Jewish temples at the site, was the first in which a government minister openly prayed at the site. Under the status quo, Jews have been allowed to tour the site but are barred from praying, with Israeli police and troops providing security. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said afterward that Israel would not change the norms governing the holy site. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned Ben Gvir's visit. Ambassador Sufian Qudah, a spokesperson for Jordan's Foreign Ministry, condemned what he called "provocative incursions by the extremist minister" and implored Israel to prevent escalation. Ben Gvir's visit took place on Tisha B'av, a day in which Jews mourn the destruction of their temples. He condemned a video that Hamas released of 24-year-old hostage Evyatar David showing him emaciated in a dimly lit tunnel in Gaza. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza, triggered outrage when they released separate videos of individual hostages this week. Israeli media hasn't broadcast the videos, calling them propaganda, but Netanyahu met with the hostage families on Saturday, pledging further efforts to return them to Israel. Red Crescent Facility Shelled The Palestinian Red Crescent said the Israeli military attacked its headquarters in the southern city of Khan Younis early Sunday, killing a staffer and wounding three others. The overnight strike wrecked the organization's multi-story building, leaving its offices full of broken concrete and blood, with gaping holes in the walls and floors, according to video released by the organization. Red Crescent said the military shelled its Khan Younis facility three times between around 1 a.m. local time. Elsewhere in Khan Younis, an Israeli strike hit a school sheltering displaced people, killing at least two, Nasser hospital said. Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions about either strike. The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, and abducting another 251. They are still holding 50 captives, around 20 believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed its figures, but hasn't provided its own account of casualties.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Traditional courses at RU in demand among students
1 2 Ranchi: History, political science and geography are the most sought-after courses among the students seeking admission in Ranchi University, while philosophy, psychology and sociology have a very few takers. Moreover, business administration, computer application, accountancy and zoology are also popular among those seeking admission in vocational courses. Academicians said that familiarity with the subject from school level, simplicity and also lack of awareness about other subjects are among the reasons why certain subjects are more popular. A case in point is Marwari College. There are 460 applications for geography against vacancy of 120. A total of 590 have applied for 165 seats in political science and around 1,000 for 250 accountancy seats. In Doranda college, there are around 700 applications for 250 seats in history, while in philosophy only 45 students have applied for 60 seats, 159 for 150 seats in sociology, 41 for 100 seats in physics and 43 against 60 seats in chemistry. The applicants in tribal and regional language department is also less than the seats of 66. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo However, demand for these languages is high in colleges located in certain areas. For instance, there are 700 applications against 250 seats for Panchpargania subject in Panchpargania Kisan College in Bundu. Principal in-charge of Doranda college, Rajkumar Sharma said that most of the students know about history and geography from school days, adding they are useful in competitive examinations as well. He added, "During the ongoing admission process, we are counselling students who cannot secure admission in their choice of subjects to opt for others." It may be stated here that admission on basis of second list are underway in the RU colleges. Around 65,000 students have applied for 40,000 seats in the university. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
