Female mosquitoes could still detect humans even when their human-scent sensors were disabled. The discovery shows that the insects' olfactory systems are more complex than previously thought. Now, scientists reveal how mosquitoes are able to smell humans even without antennae.
Mosquitoes hunt for their next meal by detecting human body odor, body heat, and carbon dioxide emissions, which fluctuate from individual to individual.. The research, which was published in the academic journal Cell (read below), suggests that, contrary to animals, which have a single set of neurons that sense each type of odor, mosquitoes may experience scents via a variety of unique pathways.
In order to locate the blood that will nourish their eggs, female mosquitoes use the multitude of odors that humans and other animals generate. The insects' antennae, which are where they pick up scents, include olfactory neurons that detect and transmit scent information to the brain.
Meg Younger, the stu...
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