Mosquito

Researchers are targeting a possible new weapon in the fight against malaria, science that could also be applied in the fight against other devastating mosquito-borne illnesses, according to a Vanderbilt study published in PLOS ONE. Read More

Vanderbilt biologists have discovered that mosquitoes possess a previously unknown mechanism for destroying pathogens which takes advantage of the peculiarities of the insect’s circulatory system to increase its effectiveness. Read More

After more than a decade spent successfully decoding the malaria mosquito’s sense of smell, the Zwiebel Lab has added ant olfaction to its research repertoire and has just received a major grant to pursue this new avenue for the next four years. Read More

(Photo Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) This photograph depicts a dorsal view of a male cayenne tick, Amblyomma cajennense. This tick specie is a known North, Central and South American vector of Rickettsia rickettsii, which is the etiologic agent of Rocky Mountain spotted… Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered a new insect repellent compound that may be thousands of times stronger than DEET, the active ingredient currently in common mosquito repellents. This new compound is the first of its kind in the world.  … Read More

http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/nosingoutmosquitoes.jsp Read More

Julian Hillyer is the 2012 recipient of one of the Entomological Society of America’s annual recognition award. Read More

This Week on VUCast, Vanderbilt’s weekly newscast  highlighting  research, experts, students, sports and everything Vanderbilt: A Vanderbilt doctor’s amazing surgery lands on “Grey’s Anatomy” Scientists create a breakthrough bug repellant A Vandy minister’s actions honored by the White House   [vucastblurb]  … Read More

Discovery of a new class of insect repellant raises the possibility of formulations that are thousands of times more effective than current repellants. Read More

Graduate students Chao Liu and R. Jason Pitts Origin of DEET’s repellent effect confirmed It now appears that the malaria mosquito needs more than one family of odor sensors to sniff out its human prey. That is the implication of new research into the mosquito’s sense of smell published… Read More