repellent

Mosquitoes. That's right, mosquitoes. As creepy little transmitters of diseases such as the current Zika virus epidemic (linked with causing the birth defect microencephaly), West Nile virus, malaria, chikungunya, and dengue fever, mosquitoes kill over 1 million people every year according to the World Health Organization. This fascinating video from PBS shows how they suck your blood: I am using insect repellent this summer after watching that video!

A new study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface from a team of researchers (University of the Sunshine Coast, James Cook University, University of Queensland, Australia, and the University of Oxford) described how geckos living in humid areas manage to stay dry. The researchers used a scanning electron microscope to take a closer look at the skin of box-patterned geckos (Lucasium steindachneri), which is how they discovered the dense microscopic spiny hairs that are also found in other species of geckos. The hairs trap air and the tips of the hair help gather water into…