Ades egypti is an important vector for diseases that's found across the world. The females of this species are biters, feeding on humans and animals but they much prefer us. And one of the ways they can pick us out is through our body odors. A new paper in nature gives some neuronal insight into how these mosquitoes pick us out.
00:46 How a move to microbial protein could affect emissions
It’s well understood that the production of meat has large impacts on the environment. This week, a team show that replacing 20% of future meat consumption with protein derived from microbes could reduce associated emissions and halve deforestation rates.
How saltwater crocodiles’ penchant for pigs is driving population recovery in Australia, and solving the mystery of some eighteenth-century porcelain’s iridescent lustre.
10:47 The neurons that help mosquitoes distinguish smell
Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes strongly prefer human odours to those of animals, but how they distinguish between them is not well understood. Now, researchers have shown that human odours strongly activate a specific area in the brains of these insects, a finding that could have important implications for mosquito-control strategies.
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how climate change could affect virus transmission between mammals, and how the link between a dog's breed and its temperament may not be as close as previously thought.