The "Eaten Up Alive . . .For Life!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting on the back porch watching the mosquitoes descend onto my skin as the evening sun begins to drop behind the corner of our house.  Doesn't matter how much "stuff" I put on my arms and legs, I still seem to attract the 8-legged insects to my body. Wouldn't be so bad if they didn't bite me and make me itch and itch.  I recently read that certain people are referred to as "mosquito magnets" since the insects seem to be drawn to certain chemicals on their skin that have a specific odor.  And, the tiny blood-suckers tend to be drawn toward my skin.  Evidently I have the specific smell and it doesn't matter if I am sitting on my back deck or attending a picnic at a nearby park pavilion, since they will find me.  Researchers recently did a study pitting people's scents against one another.  64 volunteers were asked to wear nylon stockings around their forearms to pick up their skin smells.  The stockings then were put in separate traps at the end of a long tube, then dozens of mosquito were released.  They swarmed to the most attractive subjects.  It was very obvious which specimens attracted them.  The biggest mosquito magnet was about 1000 times more attractive to the mosquitoes than the last place finisher.  The experiment used the Aedes ageypti mosquito that spreads diseases like yellow fever, Zika and dengue.  Over multiple years, the same people were tested to show that these big differences took place no matter how many times they were tested.  A mosquito magnet seems to remain a mosquito magnet no matter how many years they were tested.  Out of the tested people, the researchers found one common factor: mosquito magnets had high level of certain acids on their skin.  These "greasy molecules" are part of the skin's natural moisturizing layer, and people produce them in different amounts.  The healthy bacteria that live on the skin eat up these acids and produce part of our skin's odor profile.  No matter how hard you try, you can't get rid of these acids without damaging your skin's health.  But, research could help find new methods to repel mosquitoes.  There may be a way to tinker with skin bacteria and change humans' tantalizing smell.  Still figuring out ways to fight off mosquitoes isn't easy since the critters have evolved to be "lean, mean biting machines."  Researchers also did the experiment with mosquitoes whose genes were edited to damage their sense of smell.  The bugs still flocked to the same mosquito magnets.  They have come to the conclusion that mosquitoes are resilient and have many backup plans to be able to find the most vulnerable people and bite them.  If you happen to be one of those people,  you may be in trouble for life. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.