Soap science beats away bug bites

如何改变“招蚊子体质”？

People hate mosquitoes due to their blood-sucking tendencies.

人人都讨厌“吸血”的蚊子。

Scientists, too, are troubled by mosquitoes and have been researching ways to keep them away.

长期以来，科学家们也一直在研究如何防蚊。

A team of researchers from Virginia Tech in the US looked into different kinds of soap.

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。

They invited volunteers to test how four different soap flavors attract mosquitoes.

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。

After analyzing the mosquitoes’ behavior, the researchers discovered several chemicals in the soap that can influence the mosquitoes’ “choice of food”.

在对蚊子行为进行分析后，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。

Two chemicals, one with the smell of coconut and another with the scent of flowers, can keep the insects away.

其中，椰子味和花香型，能让蚊子“敬而远之”。

The team also found that what matters to mosquitoes is not just the chemicals,

研究小组还发现，对蚊子来说，不仅是化学物质本身，

but rather the combination of chemicals with each person’s smell.

化学物质与个人气味结合产生的味道也会对蚊子产生影响。

For example, people who attract mosquitoes can be more attractive to them after using one type of soap.

例如，招蚊子的人在使用某种肥皂后会更加吸引蚊子，

They can also repel mosquitoes by using another kind of soap.

但这些人也可以通过使用其他肥皂来驱蚊。

The findings were “remarkable”, said senior author Clement Vinauger in a news release,

资深作者Clement Vinauger在新闻中表示，这些发现“非常有用”，

adding that he would choose a coconut-scented soap to keep mosquitoes away.

并补充道，他会选择椰子香味的肥皂来避蚊。

How these insects manage to find humans has also made scientists curious.

蚊子是如何追踪人类气味的？科学家对这个问题也很好奇。

According to a new study published in Current Biology, researchers built a “canteen” for hundreds of mosquitoes.

《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”。

In the 20-by-20-meter facility, there were six pads that had the smell of different humans.

在这个20*20米的设施里，有六个散发着不同人类气味的垫子。

The pads were heated to mimic sleeping humans.

这些垫子被加热以模仿睡觉中的人。

They found that the insects can track scents up to 60 meters.

他们发现，蚊子可以追踪60米以内的气味。

Also, mosquitoes are most attracted to a kind of chemical called carboxylic acid, which is usually produced by bacteria on human skin.

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。

The smell of one participant wasn’t attractive to the insects,

研究中，科学家们发现一名参与者的气味对蚊子没有吸引力，

and researchers believed it was due to the person’s diet, which is mainly plant-based foods.

他们认为，这是由于此人以素食为主。

By analyzing the chemicals that either attract or repel mosquitoes, scientists are able to improve mosquito repellent.

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。

With more studies, scientists believe changing a person’s diet could one day make them “mosquito-proof”.

随着更深入的研究，科学家们相信，改变个人饮食结构可以使人类变得“防蚊”。

This is especially beneficial for regions where mosquitoes carry diseases, such as malaria, CNN reported.

据美国有线电视新闻网报道，部分地区的蚊子会携带疟疾等传染性疾病，这一发现对这些地区会非常有帮助。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪英文报》高一913期