SCIENTISTS from Rockefeller University in New York have found a possible way to make mosquitos less blood-suckingly hungry, simply using human appetite suppressants.
They tested female Aedes aegypti mozzies - the ones that bite because they need proteins in blood to produce their eggs - by feeding them a saline solution containing neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y2 receptor drugs.
They found the insects' appetites plummeted after they were exposed to the medication, similar to human reactions to the NPY drugs.
While the work is still in early stages, it could lead to a "novel approach to control infectious disease transmission by controlling mosquito behaviour".
The full abstract was published in the Cell journal - cell.com.
And while we're on the subject of annoying insects, a zoo in the USA has come up with a special not-so-romantic Valentine's Day promotion involving creepy-crawlies.
The El Paso Zoo in West Texas has announced a "Quit Bugging Me" campaign, offering to name a cockroach after your ex and then feed it to a meerkat live on camera.
The special event will be streamed on Facebook and the zoo's website so you can watch it live from wherever you are in the world, with a spokesperson for the zoo saying it was a "fun way to get the community involved in our daily enrichment activities".
You can message your ex's name to facebook.com/elpasozoo.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 11 Feb 19
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