New Insect Repellant May Be Thousands of Times Stronger Than DEET

Science Daily ^ | May 9, 2011 | Staff

[Red Badger]

Imagine an insect repellant that not only is thousands of times more effective than DEET -- the active ingredient in most commercial mosquito repellants -- but also works against all types of insects, including flies, moths and ants.

That possibility has been created by the discovery of a new class of insect repellant made in the laboratory of Vanderbilt Professor of Biological Sciences and Pharmacology Laurence Zwiebel and reported this week in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"It wasn't something we set out to find," said David Rinker, a graduate student who performed the study in collaboration with graduate student Gregory Pask and post-doctoral fellow Patrick Jones. "It was an anomaly that we noticed in our tests."

The tests were conducted as part of a major interdisciplinary research project to develop new ways to control the spread of malaria by disrupting a mosquito's sense of smell supported by the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative funded by the Foundation for the NIH through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"It's too soon to determine whether this specific compound can act as the basis of a commercial product," Zwiebel cautioned. "But it is the first of its kind and, as such, can be used to develop other similar compounds that have characteristics appropriate for commercialization."

The discovery of this new class of repellant is based on insights that scientists have gained about the basic nature of the insect's sense of smell in the last few years. Although the mosquito's olfactory system is housed in its antennae, 10 years ago biologists thought that it worked in the same way at the molecular level as it does in mammals.

[Revolting cat!]

DDT?

[brownsfan]

If it works, and makes life better, the libs will find a way to ban it.

[Rebelbase]

A miracle of science. Reflected light from Helen Thomas has been reconfigured into a molecule.

[ComputerGuy]

Is it better than Skin So Soft?

[sickoflibs]

Need something to kill stinkbugs.

[Skepolitic]

Especially if it helps destitute people in Africa and South America.

For some reason, libs profess to care about such people, but favor policies that kill them.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***The tests were conducted as part of a major interdisciplinary research project to develop new ways to control the spread of malaria by disrupting a mosquito’s sense of smell ****

Tain’t no good unless it will also drive away the TICKS and CHIGGERS.

[brownsfan]

“For some reason, libs profess to care about such people, but favor policies that kill them.”

It’s simple, and been said here many times. Libs see each person as a problem, something to be provided for. So, the fewer people, the fewer problems, and more resources for those left behind, (and libs want it to be them left behind).

[RatRipper]

It causes cancer, warts and bunions . . . unless the Democrats steal it and get it patented fisrt.

[Navy Patriot]

New Insect Repellent May Be Thousands of Times Stronger Than DEET

If it repels cockroaches effectively, the Islamofacists are in big trouble, they'll have to hook up with the environmentalists to ban it.

[LyinLibs]

Okay, but does it repel moslems?

[toast]

Found this in the article:
Jones used genetic engineering techniques to insert mosquito odorant receptors into the human embryonic kidney cells used in the screening process.

WTF?

[Rio]

Jones used genetic engineering techniques to insert mosquito odorant receptors into the human embryonic kidney cells used in the screening process. Rinker tested these cells against a commercial library of 118,000 small molecules normally used in drug development. They expected to find, and did find, a number of compounds that triggered a response in the conventional mosquito ORs they were screening, but they were surprised to find one compound that consistently triggered OR-Orco complexes, leading them to conclude that they had discovered the first molecule that directly stimulates the Orco co-receptor. They have named the compound VUAA1.

[DManA]

Tick born diseases are really mushrooming in the northern tier of states (maybe all of them). I have a personal theory that Lyme’s killed my father.

[Hot Tabasco]

Is it better than Skin So Soft?

"Cactus Juice" is the best repellant I've ever found and it doesn't make you smell like a cheap whore. I used SSS once while golfing and the guys in my foursome, after laughing at me, made me stand down wind of them.....

As a side note, both Cactus Juice and SSS are not advertised as insect repellants, because to do so, they would have to go thru extensive testing by the FDA then get their approval before being marketed as such....and that costs mega bucks. Their marketing as a repellant is strictly word of mouth........

[11th Commandment]

.....Jones used genetic engineering techniques to insert mosquito odorant receptors into the human embryonic kidney cells used in the screening process...

Interesting.... the screening process is also used in drug testing...

[CholeraJoe]

Hasn’t DEET been implicated in Gulf War Syndrome and PTSD? Or does it cause those only when you get an anthrax shot first and then take pyridostigmine?

[Deaf Smith]

Just how bad does it stink to repel so much.

[Gadsden1st]

I tried S.S.S. once when duck hunting in Louisiana. Didn’t work so good because I kept jumping up and singing “I fell pretty, oh so pretty”