Haynes.tv

I was listening to the radio today and the DJ happened to mention these super mosquitoes in Greece, which are faster (about 30%) and bigger (about 15%) than normal mosquitoes and are also immune to insect repellents, and if all this is not enough they can also smell human blood from almost twice as far away. These things sound like a nightmare, and according to the report it is because of air pollution, yet another good reason for us to work even harder break our oil addiction.

Here is the scope according to IOL:

Athens – Cramped housing conditions and air pollution in Athens have given rise to a “super breed” of mosquito that is larger, faster and more adept at locating human prey, a Greek daily reported on Tuesday.
Athens-based mosquitoes can detect humans at a distance of 25m – 30m and also distinguish colours, unlike their colour-blind counterparts elsewhere in the country that only smell blood at 15m – 20m, Ta Nea daily reported.

The “super mosquitoes” of the Greek capital also beat their wings up to 500 times a second – compared to 350 beats for other variations – and are larger by 0,3 micrograms on average, the paper said, citing a study conducted by Aristotelio University in the northern city of Salonika.

According to the study, the mosquitoes of Athens have adapted to deal with air pollution and insect repellents, and overpopulation in the Greek capital of over four million has provided them with a healthy food supply.