Some swear they're cursed to be hunted by mosquitoes.

有些人發誓他們被詛咒要被蚊子追殺。

While their close by companions are regularly left unscathed.

而他們身邊的同伴卻經常毫髮無損。

But is this an illusion?

但這是幻覺嗎？

If it's not, what's going on, and what can we do about it?

如果不是，那是怎麼回事，我們又能做些什麼？

It all comes down to how, and why mosquitoes find us.

歸根結底，蚊子是如何以及為什麼找到我們的。

While male mosquitoes stick to nectar for sustenance, females also seek out blood.

雄蚊子以花蜜為生，而雌蚊子也會尋找血液。

To provide the nutrients they need for their eggs.

為它們提供產卵所需的營養。

Different mosquito species evolved to feed on different animals, and probably within the last 10,000 years, multiple mosquito lineages independently evolved a predilection for people.

不同種類的蚊子進化為以不同動物為食，可能在過去的一萬年裡，多個蚊子品系獨立進化出對人類的偏愛。

As human settlements became more permanent, they provided plenty of standing water, even through intense dry seasons, which supported mosquito reproduction year round.

隨著人類定居點越來越永久化，它們提供了大量的積水，即使在乾旱季節也是如此，這支持了蚊子全年的繁殖。

Female mosquitoes are equipped with antennae, covered in hair-like appendages that contain odor sensing receptors and neurons.

雌蚊身上長有觸角，觸角上覆蓋著毛髮狀的附屬物，其中含有氣味感應器和神經元。

These pick up on the signals of their preferred hosts.

它們會接收自己喜歡的宿主的信號。

And over thousands of years, the mosquitoes that target humans have gotten extremely good at tracking us down.

幾千年來，以人類為目標的蚊子已經變得非常善於追蹤我們。

They also target parts of our bodies where we're less likely to notice them.

它們還針對我們不易察覺的身體部位。

And they're sensitive to visual cues and changes in air flow, so when we try to defend ourselves, they can make swift escapes.

而且它們對視覺線索和氣流變化很敏感，所以當我們試圖自衛時，它們能迅速逃脫。

They've even learned to avoid particularly defensive people altogether.

他們甚至學會了完全避開防備心特別強的人。

But before these close encounters happen, several factors alert mosquitoes to people's presence.

但在這些親密接觸發生之前，有幾個因素會提醒蚊子注意人類的存在。

Female mosquitoes can pick up on the carbon dioxide humans constantly exhale from about 10 meters away.

雌蚊可以在大約 10 米外捕捉到人類不斷呼出的二氧化碳。

Once they've gotten the CO2 cue, they become especially interested in dark, high contrast objects, and the hues found in human skin.

一旦得到二氧化碳的提示，它們就會對深色、高對比度的物體以及人類皮膚的色調特別感興趣。

As they follow the carbon dioxide plume to its source, they eventually sense body heat and odors.

當它們跟隨二氧化碳羽流找到源頭時，最終會感受到體溫和氣味。

These smells are generated by the many microorganisms that live on our skin, they break down the secretions our bodies produce, like sweat and sebum.

這些氣味是由生活在我們皮膚上的許多微生物產生的，它們會分解我們身體產生的分泌物，如汗液和皮脂。

In doing so, our skin microbes create smaller organic compounds that can vaporize and get picked up as smells.

在此過程中，我們的皮膚微生物會產生較小的有機化合物，這些有機化合物會蒸發，並作為氣味被吸收。

Smells that human homing mosquitoes are especially attuned to.

人類歸巢蚊子特別敏感的氣味。

Getting extra sweaty can temporarily make people more attractive to mosquitoes, as can ingesting alcohol or being pregnant.

出汗過多會使人暫時對蚊子更有吸引力，飲酒或懷孕也是如此。

And the plasmodium parasite that causes malaria, makes the people it infects more appealing to mosquitoes.

而導致瘧疾的瘧原蟲會讓受其感染的人對蚊子更有吸引力。

By increasing the amounts of certain fruit smelling aldehyde compounds on their skin, this is extremely helpful to the parasite, because it depends on both humans and mosquitoes to reproduce.

通過增加皮膚上某些水果氣味醛類化合物的含量，這對寄生蟲非常有幫助，因為寄生蟲要靠人類和蚊子來繁殖。

But in addition to these temporary factors, about 20% of people are thought to be naturally high attractors or mosquito magnets, who are disproportionately targeted year after year.

但是，除了這些暫時性因素外，大約有 20% 的人被認為是天生的高吸引力或蚊子磁鐵，他們年復一年地成為不成比例的目標。

If you're one of them, you're probably well aware.

如果你是其中一員，你可能很清楚。

Sorry about that.

很抱歉。

Why this is, seems to come down to some skin specific characteristics.

為什麼會這樣，這似乎與皮膚的一些特性有關。

While carbon dioxide exhalations and body heat consistently signal the presence of warm blooded animals, human body odor is more distinctive.

二氧化碳的呼出和體溫始終是溫血動物的信號，而人類的體味則更為獨特。

And everyone hosts different microbial communities on their skin, which contribute to unique body odors that likewise vary from person to person.

而且，每個人的皮膚上都有不同的微生物群落，這些微生物群落會產生獨特的體味，同樣也會因人而異。

Researchers revealed that the receptors mosquitoes used to detect acidic compounds are especially important in helping them navigate towards humans.

研究人員發現，蚊子用來檢測酸性化合物的受體在幫助它們向人類導航方面尤為重要。

And indeed, humans with more abundant skin acids prove to be consistently more attractive to mosquitoes.

而事實證明，皮膚酸性更豐富的人類對蚊子的吸引力一直都更大。

Because it's such a persistent trait, certain genes may play a role, perhaps by helping determine the skin's microbial composition.

由於這是一種頑固的特徵，某些基因可能在其中發揮了作用，也許它們幫助決定了皮膚的微生物組成。

Scientists have observed that mosquitoes demonstrate similar levels of attraction among identical twins, while responding more variably to fraternal twins, which supports that there may be some genetic basis at play.

科學家們觀察到，蚊子對同卵雙胞胎的吸引程度相似，而對異卵雙胞胎的反應則差異較大，這證明其中可能存在某種遺傳基礎。

But beyond confirming that mosquitoes are in fact conspiring against some of us specifically, understanding what makes people mosquito magnets has serious large scale implications.

但是，除了證實蚊子確實在密謀專門對付我們中的一些人之外，瞭解是什麼讓人們成為蚊子的磁鐵也具有嚴重的大規模影響。

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people die from mosquito-borne diseases, and resources aren't reaching those who need them most.

每年都有數十萬人死於蚊子傳播的疾病，而資源卻沒有惠及最需要的人。

This knowledge can help inspire solutions, like more effective insect repellents that manipulate the skin's microbiome and odors.

這些知識有助於激發解決方案，比如更有效的驅蟲劑，可以操縱皮膚的微生物群和氣味。

And knowing that some people are especially strong mosquito attractors could also help efforts to get them resources like repellents, bed nets, vaccines, tests and treatments.

瞭解某些人特別容易被蚊子吸引，也有助於為他們提供驅蚊劑、蚊帳、疫苗、檢測和治療等資源。

The results could not only be less itchy.

結果不僅是瘙癢減少了。

They could break transmission cycles and save countless lives.

它們可以打破傳播週期，拯救無數生命。

Proving once again the power of combining curiosity with scientific research.

再次證明了好奇心與科學研究相結合的力量。

But how do we distinguish real science like this?

但我們該如何區分這樣的真正科學呢？

From pseudoscience?

來自偽科學？

What makes a scientific claim trustworthy?

是什麼讓科學主張值得信賴？

Find out with this video.

看看這段視頻就知道了。