38.Mosquitoes also Prefer Attractive People 蚊子偏爱有魅力的人

38. Mosquitoes also Prefer Attractive People蚊子偏爱有魅力的人

【文章赏析】

每个人都痛恨蚊子这个吸血鬼，其实蚊子咬人也是挑人的。这篇文章给我们分析了蚊子的原理。并告诉了我们对付蚊子最好的办法，“如果你们知道朋友中谁对蚊子有吸引力，务必邀请他参加你的户外集会活动，你就可能免去其他客人受蚊子叮咬之苦。”

Mosquitoes do not randomly perch on just anyone`s body and begin sucking for the most aromatically appealing humans.“Mosquitoes use odor to sort attractive people from the unattractive to find those that are most tasty.” University of Florida entomologist Jerry Butler said in a statement.

In a study of what attracted mosquitoes to people, Butler said he work off a theory that they go for humans who provide the richest source of cholesterol and B vitamins, which the pesky insects need to live but do not produce themselves.

Researchers found one sure way to stop attracting the little bugs--stop breathing. Mosquitoes can sniff out an attractive target from as far as 40 miles. When humans exhale, they expel a plume ofcarbon dioxide and other odors that travel through the air. The appetizing stir is the equivalent of a dinner bell, alerting mosquitoes that a warm meal is within range.

When a mosquito is trailing an attractive target, it zigzags up the breath plume until it makes contact, landing on the skin and patiently searching for just the right spot to insert its styled for an eight-to-ten second feeding.

Perspiration, a barely avoidable human condition, also is a mosquito lure--but only if the sweat has formed bacteria.

Bathing helps reduce the attractiveness of sticky bodies, but after-bath products don't. Skin-care products that clean, soften and moisturize not only improve a person's appearance, they're also attractive to mosquitoes. ) Certain medications, including heart and blood pressure medicine, also alter a person's likelihood of being bitten.

To test their theory, Butler and his research assistants built an“olfactometer” to measure mosquitoes` odor preferences. The contraption held small plates of cattle blood and other substance that were covered by a thin membrance to mimic skin. When the mosquitoes pierced the membrane to feed, a computer recorded the strike.

Scientists conducted the research to explore the tastes of mosquitoes and help humans protect themselves from mosquito-borne disease.

The research findings can be applied immediately.“If you can figure out who among your friends is attractive to mosquitoes and be sure to invite that person to all your outdoor gathering, you might be able to spare your other guests from mosquito bites,” Butler said.

文字偏爱有魅力的人

蚊子不是随意停在任何一个人身上就开始吸血，而是有选择地寻找那些体味芬芳，对其有吸引力的人作为对象。

蚊子利用气味将“有魅力”和“无魅力”的人分开，以便发现最可口的血液，佛罗里达大学昆虫学家杰里·布特勒在一份报告中说。

在一项关于什么吸引蚊子叮人的研究中，布特勒说他得出这样的一条结论：蚊子爱找那些能提供丰富胆固醇和B族维生素的人，因为这些讨厌的昆虫需要这些物质而自己却不能生成。

研究人员发现了一种不招引这些小家伙的有效办法—屏住呼吸。蚊子能从40英里之外嗅出合其口味的就餐目标。当人们呼气时会把含二氧化碳及其他气味的气团排放到空气中。排放出的气味就像开胃剂一样在空气中流动，对于蚊子来说等同于开饭的铃声，提醒它们附近有热腾腾的美餐。当蚊子追踪一个感兴趣的目标时，在接触目标前，先顺着呼出的气流曲折飞行，然后落到皮肤上耐心搜寻合适的地方，插入螯针，吸食8-10秒钟。

出汗是人体不可避免的现象，但只有在汗水凝成盐卤并生出细菌的时候，对蚊子才有诱惑力。

洗澡能减轻汗湿的身体对蚊子的吸引，但浴后使用的护肤品却不然。护肤品可以保持皮肤干净、柔嫩、湿润，在改善你的外观的同时，也使你成了蚊子攻击的首选对象。包括用于治疗心脏病和高血压在内的某些药物，同样会增加被蚊虫叮咬的可能性。

为了验证他们的理论，布特勒和助手们建起了一个“嗅觉测量器”去测试蚊子对气味的偏好。这种精密的装置里放了几小盘牛血和其他物质，上面盖有模仿皮肤的薄膜。当蚊子刺穿薄膜进食时，计算机记录下了它吸食的过程。

科学家们进行这项研究为了弄清蚊子的口味偏好，帮助人们自我保护免受蚊子传播的疾病侵害。

研究结果可以立即实际运用，“如果你知道朋友中谁对蚊子有吸引力，务必邀请他参加你的户外集会活动，你就可能免去其他客人受蚊子叮咬之苦。”布特勒说。