Kicker: Mosquito magnets

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Are you a mosquito magnet?

Well, could be! A new study finds that some people really do attract mosquitoes more than others!

Leslie Vosshall is a neurobiologist at Rockefeller University.

VOSSHALL: People come to me with their stories about - my mother is the one who’s always bitten, and we invited her to outdoor parties so she can receive all the bites and protect the rest of us.

Vosshall said high levels of certain chemicals on your skin makes you a smorgasbord for mosquitoes.

Researchers asked dozens of volunteers to wear nylon stockings on their arms to pick up their scent. Then the stockings were put in separate traps with a bunch of mosquitos. And sure enough, they swarmed their favorites!

The bad news for mosquito magnets: You can’t get rid of these chemicals on your skin without damaging your skin.

MYRNA BROWN: Oh well.

REICHARD: It’s The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Are you a mosquito magnet?

Well, could be! A new study finds that some people really do attract mosquitoes more than others!

Leslie Vosshall is a neurobiologist at Rockefeller University.

VOSSHALL: People come to me with their stories about - my mother is the one who’s always bitten, and we invited her to outdoor parties so she can receive all the bites and protect the rest of us.

Vosshall said high levels of certain chemicals on your skin makes you a smorgasbord for mosquitoes.

Researchers asked dozens of volunteers to wear nylon stockings on their arms to pick up their scent. Then the stockings were put in separate traps with a bunch of mosquitos. And sure enough, they swarmed their favorites!

The bad news for mosquito magnets: You can’t get rid of these chemicals on your skin without damaging your skin.

MYRNA BROWN: Oh well.

REICHARD: It’s The World and Everything in It.

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