每到夏季,总有人会发出灵魂拷问:为什么被“叮”的总是我?明明共处一室,有些人独得蚊子“恩宠”,而有些人却能全身而退。这是因为,蚊子也是有喜好的。那么,蚊子更喜欢哪类人群呢?
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Do mosquitoes prefer a certain blood type? Maybe—but it’s not just one factor that influences why these winged pests are attracted to us and researchers can’t seem to agree on a definitive answer.
蚊子喜欢某种血型吗?可能是这样的,但这不是有些人招蚊子的唯一因素,研究人员似乎无法就这个问题的答案达成一致。
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who return from time in the outdoors covered in itchy mosquito bites and those who can spend hours in the same space and avoid getting bitten at all. Let's face it, mosquitoes are not equal opportunity feasters.
世界上有两种人:一种是从户外回来时被蚊子叮咬发痒的人,另一种是可以在同一个地方呆上几个小时而完全避免被叮咬的人。事实是,蚊子并不会“平等地”叮咬每个人。
So, what exactly makes some people more attractive to mosquitoes than others?
那么,究竟是什么让一些人比其他人对蚊子更有吸引力呢?
Science reveals that a variety of factors might make you more palatable to mosquitoes, from your skin microbiota and carbon dioxide emitted in your breath to the color of clothing you're wearing (with colors like red, orange, and black being the most attractive to mosquitoes). But in the end, much of the variation in mosquito preference comes down to two factors: our natural body odor and genetics.
科学表明,很多因素都可能会影响人类对蚊子的吸引力,包括皮肤微生物群、呼吸中排放的二氧化碳、穿衣颜色(红色、橙色和黑色等颜色对蚊子最有吸引力)。但最终,蚊子的“偏爱”主要取决于两个因素:人类的自然体味和遗传。
Only the females bite humans and they do it to get a “blood meal,” deriving proteins from our blood to produce their eggs. To help locate their prey, female mosquitoes use their antennae and palps, the organs between their antennae, to detect carbon dioxide and odor. That means people who have a high metabolic rate and emit more carbon dioxide, including those who are pregnant, working out, or drinking alcohol tend to be more attractive to mosquitoes.
只有雌性蚊子会叮咬人类,它们这样做是为了获得“血液”,从人的血液中提取蛋白质来产卵。为了帮助定位猎物,雌性蚊子利用触角和触须来探测二氧化碳和气味。这意味着新陈代谢率高、排放更多二氧化碳的人(如怀孕、锻炼或饮酒的人)往往对蚊子更具吸引力。
The question of whether mosquitos prefer a certain blood type is controversial. One theory suggests that blood type may also help determine mosquito preference. If that’s the case, what blood type do mosquitos like? A 2019 study found that the major mosquito vector of dengue virus preferred people with type O blood to those with other blood types.
蚊子是否更偏爱某种血型?对此科学界是有争议的。一种理论认为,血型可能影响蚊子的“偏好”。如果这是真的,蚊子喜欢什么血型?2019年的一项研究发现,与其他血型的人相比,作为登革热病毒的主要传播媒介的蚊子更喜欢O型血的人。
However, separate research notes that experimental and laboratory data evaluating whether blood type makes one person more (or less) attractive to mosquitoes has fueled a lot of speculation, but the science is contradictory. Instead, the researchers report that the likelihood of being a “mosquito magnet” has more to do with skin odors and microbiota than blood type.
然而,另一项研究指出,该实验和实验室数据评估了血型是否会使一个人更吸引蚊子(或不那么吸引蚊子),这引发了许多猜测,但科学是相互矛盾的。该研究人员报告说,“招蚊子”的因素更多与皮肤气味和微生物群有关,而不是血型。
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