Fabian Gappi
9-A B-9
Graphene fabric keeps mosquitoes from biting
Mosquito bites aren’t just a nuisance on summer hikes or backyard patios. For millions of
people around the world, they can bring deadly diseases. Now, researchers have proposed
a new strategy to keep our skin bite-free. Add a layer of graphene to your outerwear.
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms. Identified in 2004, graphene earned its two
discoverers the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics. Millions of graphene layers form the graphite
in school pencils. Attaching oxygen atoms to graphene produces a film known as graphene
oxide (GO). And that’s the basis of the new fabric.
Castilho learned that a mosquito’s mouth consists of more than a straw to slurp up blood.
In fact, there are six mouthparts. They are, in some ways, like dinnerware. “A mosquito
holds your skin with two mouthparts that act as a fork,” she explains. Another four parts
have knife-like serrated edges. They cut into your skin.
Only a female needs a blood meal. It will nourish her eggs. The mouthparts of males can't
penetrate skin. Some biting flies have mouthparts similar to those of a female mosquito.
But none are as unique and powerful as hers.
Some female mosquitoes strongly prefer human blood. A prime example is Aedes aegypti,
which transmits many dangerous diseases. They include Zika, dengue (DEN-gay) fever,
yellow fever and chikungunya (Chih-kun-GUN-yah).
We try to prevent mosquito-borne disease with protective clothing, chemical repellents,
bed nets — even some drugs. But those drugs are too expensive for most people in poor
countries. The same is true for vaccines. They are difficult and costly to develop. And for
many diseases, they don’t even exist.
Value: I think that this is a very important invention in order to reduce the cases of the
diseases that come from mosquitoes. It helps a lot of people avoid disease and lessen the
people that die from such diseases.
Source:https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/graphene-fabric-keepsmosquitoes-biting