Researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara) have reported something about mosquitos that many of us already instinctively knew (!).
According to a recent posting on the UC Santa Barbara website, the researchers have discovered that nature has provided mosquitos with their own integrated infrared detection system. They say that this capability gives mosquitos the ability to convert heat emanating from human bodies into electromagnetic waves. These waves then heat neurons at the end of a mosquito’s antennae, which allows them to zero in on human targets for their blood.
The researchers are hopeful that their work and their findings will lead to the development of more effective ways to repel or eliminate mosquitos, including adding infrared heat to mosquito traps.
