discoverynews reblogged
Mosquito repellent is dangerous, but it doesn’t have to be
Most mosquito repellent since the 1950s has contained a compound called DEET. It works well, but it can also melt your swim trunks, and give you a rash. On top of that, it’s too expensive to be a major factor in parts of the world where malaria and other mosquito-borne illnesses are a serious problem.
UC Riverside’s Anandasankar Ray set out to find a better alternative, but first he needed to figure out how a mosquito’s nose works – and why DEET works in the first place.
Watch the video to learn more:
