How to Beat Away Bug Bites

如何改变“招蚊子”体质

People hate mosquitoes due to their blood-sucking tendencies. Scientists， too， are troubled by mosquitoes and have been researching ways to keep them away.

A team of researchers from Virginia Tech in the US looked into different kinds of soap. They invited volunteers to test how four different soap flavors attract mosquitoes.

After analyzing the mosquitoes’ behavior， the researchers discovered several chemicals in the soap that can influence the mosquitoes’ “choice of food”. Two chemicals， one with the smell of coconut and the other with the scent of flowers， can keep the insects away.

The team also found that what matters to mosquitoes is not just the chemicals， but rather the combination of chemicals with each person’s smell. For example， people who attract mosquitoes can be more attractive to them after using one type of soap. They can also keep mosquitoes away by using another kind of soap. The findings were “remarkable”， said senior author Clement Vinauger in a news release， adding that he would choose a coconut-scented soap to keep mosquitoes away.

人人都讨厌“吸血”的蚊子。长期以来，科学家们也受蚊子的困扰并一直在研究如何防蚊。

美国弗吉尼亚理工大学的一个研究小组研究了不同种类的肥皂。他们邀请志愿者测试四种不同香型的肥皂对蚊子的吸引力。

在对蚊子的行为进行分析后，研究人员发现了肥皂中几种可以影响蚊子“食物选择”的化学物质。其中，含椰子味和花香的两种化学物质能让蚊子“敬而远之”。

研究小组还发现，不仅是化学物质本身，化学物质与个人气味的结合也会对蚊子产生影响。例如，招蚊子的人在使用某种肥皂后会更加吸引蚊子，但这些人也可以通过使用另一种肥皂来驱蚊。资深作者Clement Vinauger在新闻中表示，这些发现“非常有用”。他补充道，自己会选择椰子香味的肥皂来驱蚊。

How these insects manage to find humans has also made scientists curious. According to a new study published in Current Biology， researchers built a “canteen” for hundreds of mosquitoes. In the 20-by-20-meter facility， there were six pads that had the smell of different humans. The pads were heated to mimic sleeping humans.

They found that the insects can track scents up to 60 meters. Also， mosquitoes are most attracted to a kind of chemical called carboxylic acid， which is usually produced by bacteria on human skin. The smell of one participant wasn’t attractive to the insects， and researchers believed it was due to the person’s diet， which is mainly plant-based foods.

By analyzing the chemicals that either attract or repel mosquitoes， scientists are able to improve mosquito repellent. With more studies， scientists believe changing a person’s diet could one day make them “mosquito-proof”.

蚊子是如何追踪人类气味的？科学家对这个问题也很好奇。在《当代生物学》上发表的一项新研究中，研究人员为数百只蚊子建造了一个“食堂”。在这个20×20米的设备里，有六张散发着不同人类气味的垫子。这些垫子被加热，以模仿睡觉中的人。

他们发现，蚊子可以追踪60米以内的气味。此外，蚊子最容易被一种名为羧酸的化学物质吸引，这种化学物质通常由人类皮肤上的细菌产生。研究人员发现有一名参与者的气味对蚊子没有吸引力，他们认为，这主要是由于此人饮食以素食为主。

分析吸引蚊子或驱蚊的化学物质，能帮助科学家们改进驱蚊剂。随着更深入的研究，科学家们认为，改变个人饮食结构可以使人类最终变得“防蚊”。

Word Bank

mimic /'mɪmɪk/ v. 模仿（人的言行举止）

The naughty boy enjoys mimicking his teacher’s behavior.

repel /rɪ'pel/ v. 推开；赶走；驱除

This kind of cream is used to repel insects.