3 days ago
VOX POPULI: Mosquitoes are the world's top predator, share traits with 2nd
An Asian tiger mosquito (Provided by the Department of Veterinary Science of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases)
What is the most dangerous animal to human life?
If asked the question, many might picture a snake coiled to strike, a bear looming in the forest or the fin of a shark slicing through the water.
Yet the deadliest of them all, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is far smaller and far more commonplace: the mosquito. That fragile wisp of life, drifting on the air with its telltale, needling buzz.
Malaria, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis—across the globe, these mosquito-borne scourges claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year.
Some historians and scientists go further. Timothy C. Winegard, in 'The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator,' cites estimates suggesting that over the 200,000-year span of modern humanity, nearly half of all deaths have, in one way or another, borne the mark of this winged killer.
The high-pitched whine of a mosquito has been tormenting humans since antiquity. In 'Makura no Soshi' ('The Pillow Book'), the celebrated Heian Period (794-1185) court lady Sei Shonagon (c. 966-1025) included among her list of 'hateful things' the mosquito that 'announces itself with that thin little wail' just as one has settled drowsily into bed.
One might think it would be better if we couldn't hear it at all—yet some researchers speculate that humans evolved the ability to detect that tiny sound in order to survive.
In the American animated film 'A Bug's Life,' populated by a cast of endearing insects, a tipsy mosquito sidles up to the bar and orders a 'Bloody Mary, O positive.' It's a playful nod to one theory suggesting that people with type O blood are particularly irresistible to mosquitoes.
I fell victim to the summertime scourge on Aug. 7, twice bitten on the leg. Even in this season's abnormal heat, some mosquitoes seem immune to summer fatigue.
The itch is maddening—so persistent it borders on malice. If only we could negotiate with them, I would gladly sign a peace treaty with these stubborn little vampires: Take my blood, but spare me the bite.
Which brings us back to the killer rankings. After the whining blood bandit, which animal claims the next-highest human toll?
The answer, of course, is ourselves—we who pride ourselves on our intelligence and reason, yet remain history's most prolific killers.
—The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 8
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
