Tropical regions tends to have issues with small biting things. Usually, these are known as mosquitoes that carry a myriad of diseases. Olfactory Laboratories has come up with a solution to the problems by using a tiny patch to keep us bite free. They have turned to crowdfunding to get this product out to people who need (or want) it too.
It works by emitting chemicals to disrupt the CO2 receptors on mosquitoes which, in theory, should prevent them from locating people to bite. The technology has been around for a while, but the compounds used weren’t safe for human use. Called the Kite, this new patch should function for about 48 hours and is set to be tested in Uganda.
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Now, it looks like a good idea but the whole thing relies on the idea that mosquitoes only track humans through CO2 emissions. Which they don’t. There are a few other clues that lead the tiny jerks to our valuable blood. Like a compound known as nonanal, which is a type of alcohol produced by both fruits and humans. Disrupting one method of location may only end up reducing the number of mosquitoes that bite. Only the other hand, it might also just make the other unprotected humans a more tempting target.
Maybe we should also give some thought to anti-mosquito laser turrets.
