Skrillex’s music scientifically proven to turn scary monsters into nice sprites
Get ready to headbang the mosquitoes away because a new cure for the world’s most detested pest has arrived. A scientific study released in late March via the journal Acta Tropica says that listening to dubstep music and specifically Skrillex, can help prevent mosquito bites. The team of international scientists subjected the mosquito species Aedes Aegypti —the yellow fever mosquito— to Skrillex’s landmark song “Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites” and found fascinating results to say the least. The basis behind testing the effects of music on mosquitoes derives from the notion that, “Sound is crucial for reproduction, survival, and population maintenance of many animals.”
The mosquito specialists chose this Skrillex song intentionally for its combination of very high and very low frequencies. They noted, “In insects, low-frequency vibrations facilitate sexual interactions, whereas noise disrupts the perception of signals from conspecifics [members of the same species] and hosts.” Observations showed that female adult mosquitoes were “entertained” by the track, and attacked hosts later and less often. Mosquitoes exposed to the song also had less sex than those in a music-free environment.
The highlights of the study include reduced blood feeding activity during music entertainment, less copulation, and a delayed response time. The scientists concluded that the results, “provide[d] new avenues for the development of music-based personal protective and control measures against Aedes-borne diseases.”
H/T: BBC News
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