ARE you left unscathed while those around you get covered in mosquito bites? It’s probably because you produce natural mosquito repellents. The good news for the rest of us is that sprays and lotions containing these natural chemicals could soon be available.
“We’ve got 11 key compounds, but there are a few more,” says John Pickett of Rothamsted Research in Harpenden in the UK. His team first identified people who are less likely to be bitten by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which can transmit yellow fever. Pickett’s colleague James Logan then collected whole-body odours from these individuals and isolated the…
