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Dubstep Music Found To Protect Against Mosquito Bites, Says Study (bbc.com)
According to a new study published in the journal Acta Tropica, listening to electronic music -- specifically dubstep, produced by U.S. artist Skrillex -- could protect against mosquito bites. The BBC reports: Sound is "crucial for reproduction, survival, and population maintenance of many animals," says a team of international scientists specializing in mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. They subjected adults of the species Aedes aegypti, known as the yellow fever mosquito, to electronic music to see whether it could work as a repellent. Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites, a track by Skrillex which features on his Grammy-award winning album of the same name, was chosen because of its mix of very high and very low frequencies.
"In insects, low-frequency vibrations facilitate sexual interactions, whereas noise disrupts the perception of signals from conspecifics [members of the same species] and hosts," the scientists said. Female adult mosquitoes were "entertained" by the track and attacked hosts later and less often than those in a dubstep-free environment. Scientists said "the occurrence of blood feeding activity was lower when music was being played." The scientists also found that mosquitoes exposed to the song had sex "far less often" than mosquitoes without music. "The observation that such music can delay host attack, reduce blood feeding, and disrupt mating provides new avenues for the development of music-based personal protective and control measures against Aedes-borne diseases."
"In insects, low-frequency vibrations facilitate sexual interactions, whereas noise disrupts the perception of signals from conspecifics [members of the same species] and hosts," the scientists said. Female adult mosquitoes were "entertained" by the track and attacked hosts later and less often than those in a dubstep-free environment. Scientists said "the occurrence of blood feeding activity was lower when music was being played." The scientists also found that mosquitoes exposed to the song had sex "far less often" than mosquitoes without music. "The observation that such music can delay host attack, reduce blood feeding, and disrupt mating provides new avenues for the development of music-based personal protective and control measures against Aedes-borne diseases."
Perhaps the Grammy awards can have a new category for best insect repellent.
...then it's surely a candidate for an Ig Noble Prize!
Omnis basim vester nobis compete sunt.
That mosquitos, too, are repulsed by dubstep?
Or 365 days early, (if I counted right, there’s a February 29th between now and the next April first).
Also, if this weren’t an April Moron-Day joke, I would have to weigh being bitten by mosquitos and risking contracting various mosquito-borne illnesses against having to listen to dubstep. Not sure which is worse.
Don't complain, it could have been 1940s German umpapa music.
My reviews of mosquito repellents.
Ultrasonic = Ineffective
Thermacell products (some chemical released by battery power) = Ineffective
Citronella = Not Effective
Picaridin = Slightly effective, enough to notice
Deet = Effective. 25% for the kids, 50-100% for me in the summer.
Battery powered tennis racket bug killer = Effective and the most fun (doesn't hurt much when directly killing)!
In total I've spent well over a year camping outside. Deet is the answer unless one wants to play tennis.
BlameBillCosby.com