Monthly Archives: April 2015

Mosquito sex and infection: benefits and costs

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Mosquitoes have been called the most dangerous animals in the world because of their role in the transmission of so many deadly diseases. An understanding of their reproductive biology forms a critical part of the knowledge we need to design new strategies to control them. New findings concerning their sexual activity and the effect of malaria infection on their reproductive traits have been published recently.

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Wash your veg!

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Preparing raw vegetables while making dinner last week led to an exasperated “why are you washing those?” from my significant other and a healthy discussion about whether they should, or should not be washed. From my perspective all sorts of bugs can be found both in and on food, but this conversation led me to wonder: how important is it to wash (and thoroughly cook) our food?

Special Issue of “Climate change and vector-borne diseases of humans”

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The Philosophical Transactions B of the Royal Society has just published a special issue on “Climate change and vector-borne diseases in humans. The issue highlights the most recent advances of the field, providing a treasure trove of references for those interested, with a rallying call to incorporate both climatic and non-climatic factors into studies trying to predict the distribution and intensity of vector-borne diseases.