Genetic analysis suggests Anopheles mosquitoes fed on humans some 1.8 million years ago. (Paywall may apply.)

How we helped make Aedes aegypti mosquitoes such a problem

Mosquito genome sequencing data suggests that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes first started specializing on human blood around 5,000 years ago—when climates shifted and humans started domesticating plants in Africa and stored large amounts of water that may have attracted the bugs.

Some mosquitoes are key pollinators—and eat disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes drink a maximum of 0.01 milliliters of blood in a single meal.

See this graphic of the complex malaria transmission lifecycle

Female Anopheles mosquitoes contract malaria by feeding on the blood of a human already infected with the disease-causing parasite. The parasite then develops in the mosquito's gut for one to two weeks before it migrates to the mosquito's salivary glands. Next, when the mosquito bites another person the parasite is delivered into the bloodstream of another human. This graphic further details what happens inside the human body during infection.

Molecular evidence suggests the deadliest malaria parasite may be 100,000 years old

Plasmodium falciparum, the form of the parasite that kills the most humans, may date back 100,000 years, according to mitochondrial DNA analysis published in Science in 2003. It suggests that the parasite took off in humans about 10,000 years ago.

Female Anopheles mosquito bites are the primary way malaria spreads

Females are the only ones that bite: They need blood to get essential nutrients for egg development. Very rarely, the disease is also spread via blood transfusions, organ transplants, shared needles, or from mother to fetus during pregnancy or birth.

Genetics may account for nearly 67% of mosquito attractiveness.

Blood evolved many times over hundreds of millions of years.

Researchers are breeding genetically modified mosquitoes to be malaria-resistant

Using CRISPR, a team of international researchers is genetically modifying Anopheles in the lab to be malaria-resistant. The insects would be released into the wild to mate with the wild population, passing down this trait. As of early 2026 they had not yet released the mosquitoes into the wild for field trials. Separate CRISPR work seeks to reduce the Anopheles population altogether.

Twin studies helped scientists understand why mosquitoes like some of us more than others

A combination of carbon dioxide output, skin chemistry, genetic factors, hormones, and clothing choice can make us particularly vulnerable to mosquito bites. Watch how mosquitoes responded to one man in the video versus his wife, a research approach typically conducted with identical and fraternal twins to test mosquito attractiveness.

Anopheles mosquitoes are developing resistance to insecticides.

Why genetic similarities between humans suggest a past near-extinction event

Researchers have found that low genetic diversity among humans—even those on opposite sides of the planet—may result from a breeding population of as few as 1,280 adults, estimated to have existed 930,000 years ago. This genetic bottleneck may have resulted from a near-extinction or from a small population of human ancestors, from which we all descend, that broke off from a larger population.

Metamorphosis evolved over millions of years as species that hatched as smaller versions of adults started exhibiting genetic mutations that differentiated juvenile and adult bodies.

HIV originated in Central and West Africa from a virus in chimpanzees

Researchers believe the virus crossed from chimpanzees to humans through bushmeat practices in the early 20th century, with genetic studies suggesting the most recent common ancestor of the HIV-1 M group, which is responsible for the global AIDS pandemic, emerged around 1910–1930 in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) in the Belgian Congo.

Vampire bats are the only mammal to feed exclusively on blood

Scientists believe their ancestors may have eaten parasites and insects off larger animals until vampire bats started feeding directly from those animals. Colonies work together to stay fed, as a vampire bat can die without just two days of eating.

Mosquito saliva acts as an anticlotting agent

The bug's piercing mouthpart, the proboscis, is actually several tubes—one for sucking, one for spitting. But the chemicals in its spit actually help its blood meal to flow, combating its victim's ability to clot at the puncture site.

Mosquitoes even have olfactory receptors on their sperm.

Using mosquitoes to vaccinate bats could curb the spread of deadly diseases. (Paywall may apply.)

Mosquitoes are the world's deadliest animal, but gene drives could kill them.

Malaria mosquitoes in a lab were wiped out using CRISPR

Scientists at Imperial College London disabled a gene in female Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes to make them infertile and propagated the infertility mutation at unnaturally high rates using a gene drive. The entire population collapsed within a dozen generations, showing promise for subsequent with mosquitoes in mimicked tropical environments.

Homo sapiens may have migrated into Europe earlier than previously believed

Archaeologists used to believe that Homo sapiens migrated to Europe from Africa about 42,000 years ago, at about the time that Neanderthals went extinct. This 27-minute podcast episode explores new evidence that suggests Homo sapiens migrated about...

Pregnancy makes someone more attractive to the mosquito species that transmits malaria.

Bees evolved from meat-eating wasps that became vegetarian

After flowering plants first appeared approximately 140 million years ago, some wasp diets would have changed as they consumed pollen-coated insects that would visit these plants. Bees that branched from these wasp species also developed long tongues to slurp nectar and ultraviolet vision to identify flower patterns unseen by humans.

Humans may be the ultimate invasive species

Originating in East Africa, Homo sapiens migrated across the world beginning about 60,000 years ago and directly harmed countless species by consuming resources and modifying ecosystems to serve our needs. While meeting the definition of an invasive species, some ecologists argue the opposite, claiming that humans have helped preserve numerous species.

Ancient humans settled Australia more than 50,000 years ago

Archaeological evidence shows that modern humans reached Southeast Asia about 70,000 years ago and they spread to Australia by at least 50,000 years ago. It marks the oldest evidence of open-sea migration by humans on record.

Ancient humans and other early hominins were closer than you might think

Evidence that human ancestors and other early hominins coexisted continues to accumulate, raising the question of just how close these ancient people truly were. This article details how evidence is changing the theory that early hominins like...

Explore inside a mosquito factory where millions of mosquitoes are bred weekly

In Medellin, Colombia, scientists are infecting Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a bacterium that wouldn't otherwise infect the species, but does block its ability to transmit dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya. In the wild, infected mosquitoes would breed with wild mosquitoes, pass down Wolbachia, and thus reduce disease transmission.

The messy story of humanity's genealogical past

For decades, scientists viewed the human fossil record and concluded Neanderthals, an early hominin, came before homo sapiens, or modern humans. The story became more complicated as technology advanced and ancient DNA samples were analyzed. This video breaks down the evidence, concluding the development of humanity was a lot messier than previously believed.

Culicidology is the study of mosquitoes

This deep dive mosquito science podcast states that the word culicidology dates back to the 1970s, and comes from the Latin word for "midge"—a separate, tiny biting insect. It first appeared in a book review about a book called "Mosquitoes of New York."

The mosquito's role in the transmission of malaria was confirmed in 1897.

Lyme disease-causing bacteria predate any suspected biological weapons testing

Borrelia bacteria existed long before any US biological weapons program—or human presence in North America. One study comparing genomes of the bacteria behind Lyme disease collected samples of the bacteria over three decades and calculated that the bacterium has been in North America longer than humans, at least 60,000 years. Other work found related bacteria preserved in amber from millions of years ago.

A brief history of human blood groups

The blood group that determines whether you have type A, B, AB, or O blood was discovered near the turn of the 20th century. This short academic article dives into three main theories about the evolution and emergence of blood groups, the exact nature of which remains unclear.

West Nile virus was detected in UK mosquitoes for the first time in 2023

Fragments of the virus were detected in mosquitoes that were being collected in Britain for the first time in 2023, but the UK government considers the overall risk to people to be low. As of spring 2026, there have never been detected locally-acquired cases of the disease.

Mosquitoes top the ranking of the world's deadliest animals.

Up to 8% of the human genome consists of ancient viral DNA

Human endogenous retroviruses are remnants of infections that affected human primate ancestors millions of years ago and were passed on by infiltrating sperm and egg cells. Studies have shown that this DNA may play a role in immune responses and in placental formation.

From 1970 to 2017, invasive species have caused $1.28T in damage globally

The costliest species were the Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes ($149B), which arrived in the US from Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, respectively. The bulk of their damage came from their transmission of diseases such as Zika, chikungunya, and dengue. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

How do we know what prehistoric humans ate?

Without recourse to ancient menus, how can historians know what our ancient human ancestors—as far as 3 million years ago—ate on a daily basis? Researchers evaluate several factors, including the type of teeth the species had evolved, chemical analysis of the teeth, patterns of wear and tear on teeth, as well as food scraps found in the vicinity of ancient remains. Learn the approach to discovering ancient hominin diets.

Wolbachia is also being used to slash mosquito numbers

The naturally occurring bacterium does not naturally infect Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, but communities in locations including California and Texas have released male mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia and reported a significant drop in subsequent mosquitoes: When infected males mate with uninfected wild females, the eggs don't hatch.

Human records of influenza stretch back more than two millennia

Accounts of flu-like illness appear as early as 412 BCE, when Hippocrates described a sudden wave of cough and fever. Centuries of recurring outbreaks culminated in the first clearly documented pandemic in 1580, spreading from Asia into Europe and Africa.

Human records of influenza stretch back more than two millennia

Accounts of flu-like illness appear as early as 412 BCE, when Hippocrates described a sudden wave of cough and fever. Centuries of recurring outbreaks culminated in the first clearly documented pandemic in 1580, spreading from Asia into Europe and Africa.