logo
episode-header-image
May 2020
6m 59s

BrainStuff Classics: Are Some People Imm...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

Some people seem to attract tons of mosquito bites -- others, none at all. Learn what factors attract more mosquitoes -- and why they 'bite' us in the first place -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Jun 1
Where Did the At Symbol Come From?
The @ sign goes by many names today, but it's only so commonplace because of medieval merchants and one 1970s programmer. Learn more about the at sign (or arroba, Klammeraffe, strudel, grisehale, or gül) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuf ... Show More
9m 4s
May 30
BrainStuff Classics: What Can Babies See in the Womb?
A human fetus doesn't develop retinas until around gestational week 28. Learn how researchers have tried to figure out what babies can see in the few remaining weeks before they're born in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com ... Show More
5m 3s
May 29
Can You Really Escape an Alligator by Running Zigzag?
You could probably outsprint an alligator no matter what pattern you ran in -- but it's extremely unlikely that you'd ever need to. Learn how alligators do and don't attack in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/reptiles/alligator- ... Show More
10m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
Do mosquitos bite some people more than others?
<p><strong>#052 Rebroadcast<br /> </strong></p> <p>This week, Melissa and Jam continue the topic of mosquitos (If you missed last week's, listen to it first). It's time to answer the age-old, every-summer question. Why do some people get bitten by mosquitos more than other people ... Show More
34m 22s
Jun 2023
Why DO mosquitos bite some people more than others? (new research!)
<p><strong>#163<br /> </strong><br /> We've talked about mosquitos many times around here, why they bite us, how they find us, how to prevent them from biting us, etc. One thing that's struck us is that research about some of those big questions is ongoing and always evolving. An ... Show More
43m 12s
Nov 2022
Why do mosquitos bite people?
<p><strong>#051 Rebroadcast</strong></p> <p>This week, Melissa and Jam begin a multi-faceted topic: mosquitos. Now of course mosquitos are insects, so studying them would mostly fall into biology. But there's a lot of chemistry here too. The first question, why do mosquitos bite ... Show More
27m 46s
Sep 2019
Lab 013: Predator
Our city boy/hot girl summers are coming to a close, and while we will miss summer, there’s one thing we won’t miss - mosquitoes. We all were bitten by mosquitoes…A LOT. But mosquitoes don’t just make us itchy - a recent New York Times article called them “the deadliest human pre ... Show More
32m 12s
Jul 2021
Why do mosquitoes bite? Scratching that itch
In this episode, we're tackling all the mosquito questions that have been bugging our listeners. Why do they bite? Why do the bites itch? Is scratching them a good idea? Why do some people seem to be more delicious to mosquitoes? How can we keep them away from us? And are mosquit ... Show More
29m 32s
Nov 2020
Short Stuff: Fruit Flies, Why?
<p>Have you ever wondered why we do so much scientific testing on fruit flies? Turns out they make better models for humans than you’d think.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a><p> ... Show More
11m 51s
Jun 2024
Should We Eradicate Mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are common flying insect that inhabit all continents except Antarctica. There are over 3500 species of mosquitoes worldwide, but only somewhere between 6 and 9.3% bite humans and are disease vectors. That said, mosquitos are the deadliest animal on the planet, thanks t ... Show More
1h 11m
May 2016
Chiggers: The Phantom Menace
<p>Chiggers are tiny little mites capable of making your life miserable. Worse than mosquitoes? Maybe. But they aren't insects - mites are actually part of the arachnid family and behave a little like ticks. Learn all about these nearly invisible pests in today's episode.</p><p> ... Show More
33 m
Nov 2022
How can mosquitos smell you? (new research!)
<p><strong>#148</strong></p> <p>How can mosquitoes sense us? And do they prefer some people over others? This is a question we've pursued across several episodes of the podcast in the past, but now there's some brand new research that addresses this question! Let's check it out t ... Show More
52m 48s