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Nothing sucks more than trying to enjoy the great outdoors, only to be set upon blood-thirsty mosquitoes. If it seems like they tend to enjoy feasting on your skin more than those around you, there might be a scientific reason for that.
A new study published Tuesday in the journal Cell found evidence that mosquitoes prefer the skin of specific humans due to a specific compound found in sweat called carboxylic acid. These findings can potentially be used to develop better repellants for the insect, preventing bites and even deadly diseases like yellow fever and Zika from spreading.
While researchers have known for a while that mosquitoes tend to prefer some humans over others, the reason why exactly was still a bit of a mystery. Previous research suggested that it had to do with carboxylic acid, which didn’t necessarily attract mosquitoes on its own. However, when paired with other chemicals found in sweat such as ammonia and lactic acid, it becomes a mouth-watering cocktail for thirsty mosquitoes.
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