First U.S. Death Related to Zika Virus Reported
A Puerto Rican man in his 70s who died from complications of the Zika virus was the first case of his kind in the U.S., The New York Times first reported on Friday.
We Could Have a Testable Zika Vaccine in a Few Months
Currently, there is no treatment for Zika, the virus that has become an epidemic throughout Latin America and infected over 100 Americans. But that could change soon.
American Samoa Suspects It May Have Over 200 Cases of Zika Virus
Both American Samoa and Hawaii have taken official measures to curb potential Zika virus outbreaks, which are among the first meaningful efforts at combatting the mosquito-borne virus in the United States.
Scientific Study: Victoria's Secret Perfume Is Actually Mosquito Repellent
A group of scientists wanted to find the most effective mosquito repellents. So they tested 10 different substances, including campout standbys like DEET, as well as a random choice: Victoria’s Secret perfume Bombshell. Turns out the perfume is almost as good as DEET.
Here's a Video of a Mosquito's Mouth-Parts Probing Your Tender Flesh
If you've always wondered exactly what it looks like, inside of your flesh, when a mosquito sticks its stabby, contaminated tube-mouth in there and sucks your blood, YOU'RE WELCOME. Here's a video of it. Video of the mosquito probing around for a blood vessel (inside "a flap of mouse skin") is above, and video of the…
We're All Gonna Die: The Infectious Pandemics of Summer 2012
Dude! What a shitty garbage year this has been. I mean, pretty much every year in the history of years has been a shitty garbage year — "happiness" is really just a euphemism for "successful garbage mitigation" — but 2012 has been particularly gross in a lot of ways. Half the country thinks rape is hilarious.…
Iranian Rugby Team Plays In Veils For First European Game
- Members of the Iranian women's rugby team took to the field in Italy for their first European game ever. The athletes wore veils and long-sleeves. One player explains: "The whole team has learnt how to keep the veil in place."
Possibly Insane Woman Catches 4 Million Mosquitoes
Huang Yu-yen of Taiwan won $3,000 for catching about four million mosquitoes in a month in a contest held by an insect trap manufacturing company. Her catch weighed 3lbs 5oz and may earn her a Guinness World Record.
Do Mosquitoes Prefer Ladyblood?
The NY Times tackles the question and finds: not really. While there's some evidence that mosquitoes are attracted to estrogen, there's more evidence that they just go for surface area, giving men the, um, edge. They also dig sweat. [NYT]
Malaria-Carrying Mosquitoes Love A Good Kegger
A new study found that mosquitoes are really into beer. The malaria-carriers seek out victims who have been drinking, which lead the authors of the study to conclude that "beer consumption is a risk factor for malaria." [BoingBoing]
