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December 2, 2008 10:19:16 PM CST

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 Scientists Building
 Better Bug Spray 

Pepper compounds keep mosquitoes away 3 times longer than top dog DEET

WebMD WebMD May 27, 08 3:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - Researchers have found bug repellents that keep mosquitoes from biting for up to 73 days, WebMD reports. Compounds found in pepper kept bugs away nearly three times as long as industry leader DEET, which manages just 17.5 days under the same conditions—though a normal human would sweat or wash away the spray in that length of time. More »

More about:  research • insects • bug • parasites • DEET • insect repellent

New Approach Targets Tough Parasitic Illness

Insect-borne disease infects 11M annually

Reuters Reuters Dec 27, 07 1:15 PM CST
(Newser) - A new way to test for Chagas disease offers hope for combating the insect-borne ailment, which can otherwise go unnoticed for years, Reuters reports. The new method involves screening children in small areas where exterminators find the most disease-carrying bugs instead of having to test bigger populations. The disease infects 11 million people each year, mostly in Latin America. More »

More about:  public health • medical research • Latin America • study • insects • disease control • parasites

Bigfoot Sighting Revealed to be Big Mistake

Bad case of mange made bear look like legendary Sasquatch

LiveScience LiveScience Nov 8, 07 6:36 PM CST
(Newser) - A Pennsylvania hunter's footage of a "juvenile Sasquatch" has been discredited after officials said the star of the show was actually an unhealthy bear. Same deal for a Texas rancher who claimed to have captured a chupacabra, the legendary Mexican goat-killer, but had in fact only bagged a coyote. Why the mix-up? A skin infection, mange, is the culprit. More »

More about:  Texas • Pennsylvania • bigfoot • Sasquatch • parasites • coyote • chupacabra

Modified Mosquitoes Could Fight the Spread of Malaria

Guardian (UK) Guardian (UK) Mar 20, 07 8:06 AM CDT
(Newser) - Genetically modified mosquitoes that cannot pass on malaria may help reduce the spread of the disease that now causes a million deaths a year, mostly children. A new study shows that the lab-designed bugs could out-breed their natural competition, eventually driving them out altogether and eliminating the route through which humans are infected. More »

More about:  health • disease • evolution • research • malaria • genetic modification • mosquito • parasites

Is Your Cat Making You Neurotic?

Discover Discover Mar 15, 07 3:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - A parasite that reproduces in cats, previously linked to schizophrenia in infected humans, has now, bizarrely, been implicated in mass personality changes in geographic areas where incidence of infection is high. A U.S. Geological Survey study of 39 countries shows that high infection rates of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite correlate to cultural traits like neuroticism. More »

More about:  health • pets • cat • infection • schizophrenia • parasites • neuroticism

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