Mosquitoes have always preferred to feast on humans over other animals but exactly how they distinguish between the two has remained a mystery until now.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have evolved to bite humans by exclusively relying on odour molecules distinct from those exuded by other creatures in the surrounding environment, revealed a new study published in the journal Nature.
These mosquitoes, which act as vectors for diseases like Zika, dengue and yellow fever, strongly prefer human odour over the odour of animals.