Humans Just Smell Good

A Rockville, MD, chemical ecologist named Walter Leal has pin-pointed a scent that humans and birds emit, creating a powerful odor that draws most mosquitoes to them. This explains why, even when we load up on repellent, sometimes biting bugs find us anyway. While more, much more, needs to be uncovered about this substance in a search for a reliable deterrent to mosquitoes, scientists are making progress.