https://tube.blueben.net/videos/watch/fd95030c-0d64-48a2-b52f-4e4513195359 Some people just seem to be mosquito magnets; in one scientific study, 20 percent of the people ended up with 95 percent of the mosquito bites! So if you’ve ever thought mosquitoes had it out for you specifically, you might be right. And now, we know why. LEARN MORE To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords: Carboxylic Acid: An organic compound characterized by a carboxyl group (-COOH), which consists of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and single-bonded to a hydroxyl group., CO2 (Carbon Dioxide): A colorless gas made of one carbon atom bonded to two oxygen atoms (CO2)., Wavelength: The distance between two consecutive peaks (or troughs) of a wave, such as a light wave or sound wave., SUPPORT MINUTEEARTH If you like what we do, you can help us!: Become our patron: https://patreon.com/MinuteEarth, Our merch: store.dftba.com/me, Our book: https://minuteearth.com/books, Sign up to our newsletter: http://news.minuteearth.com, Share this video with your friends and family, Leave us a comment (we read them!), CREDITS Cameron Duke | Script Writer, Narrator and Director Arcadi Garcia i Rius | Storyboard Artist Sarah Berman | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation Nathaniel Schroeder | Music MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC https://neptunestudios.info OUR STAFF Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes Henry Reich • Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida OUR LINKS Youtube | https://youtube.com/MinuteEarth TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minuteearth Twitter | https://twitter.com/MinuteEarth Instagram | https://instagram.com/minute_earth Facebook | https://facebook.com/Minuteearth Website | https://minuteearth.com Apple Podcasts| https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minuteearth/id649211176 REFERENCES Alonso San Alberto, D., et al (2022). The olfactory gating of visual preferences to human skin and visible spectra in mosquitoes. Nature Communications, 13(1), 555. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28195-x De Obaldia, M. E., et al (2022). Differential mosquito attraction to humans is associated with skin-derived carboxylic acid levels. Cell, 185(22), 4099–4116.e13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.09.034 Ellwanger, J. H., da Cruz Cardoso, J., & Bogo Chies, J. A. (2021). Variability in human attractiveness to mosquitoes. Current Research in Parasitology & Vector-Borne Diseases, 1, Article 100058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpvbd.2021.100058 Fernández-Grandon, G. M., et al (2015). Heritability of attractiveness to mosquitoes. PLOS ONE, 10(4), Article e0122716. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0122716 Herre, M., et al (2022). Non-canonical odor coding in the mosquito. Cell, 185(17), 3104–3123.e28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.07.024 Lindsay, S. W., et al (2000). Effect of pregnancy on exposure to malaria mosquitoes. The Lancet, 355(9219), 1972. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(00)02334-5 Liu, F., et al (2023). Engineered skin microbiome reduces mosquito attraction to mice [Preprint]. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.20.572663 Mozūraitis, R., et al (2025). Zika virus modulates human fibroblasts to enhance transmission success in a controlled lab-setting. Communications Biology, 8(1), Article 139. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07543-9 van Breugel, F., et al (2015). Mosquitoes use vision to associate odor plumes with thermal targets. Current Biology, 25(16), 2123–2129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.046 Verhulst, N. O., et al (2011). Composition of human skin microbiota affects attractiveness to malaria mosquitoes. PLoS ONE, 6(12), Article e28991. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0028991 Westbury, R. (n.d.). Itching for truth: Why are some people mosquito magnets? Contact Magazine, The University of Queensland. https://stories.uq.edu.au/contact-magazine/itching-for-truth-why-are-some-people-mosquito-magnets/index.html Zhang, H., et al (2022). A volatile from the skin microbiota of flavivirus-infected hosts promotes mosquito attractiveness. Cell, 185(14), 2510–2522.e16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.05.016 Sat, 22 Aug 2026 03:15:21 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://tube.blueben.net https://tube.blueben.net/client/assets/images/icons/icon-96x96.png https://tube.blueben.net/videos/watch/fd95030c-0d64-48a2-b52f-4e4513195359 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://tube.blueben.net/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.