\n<\/p>\n
January 15, 2026<\/p>\n
2 min read<\/p>\n
Add Us On Google<\/span>Add SciAm<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Mosquitoes Show a Clear Preference for Human Blood after Deforestation<\/p>\n Mosquitoes captured in the remnants of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil predominantly feasted on humans instead of other animals, a new study shows<\/p>\n By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron<\/span><\/p>\n Mosquitoes are nature\u2019s opportunists. They will eat anything from plant nectar to blood from chickens, rats, alligators, frogs\u2014and, of course, humans. And now a new study finds that when humans encroach on wild places, these insects may develop a special taste for human blood above all other food sources.<\/p>\n Researchers in Brazil analyzed blood samples from mosquitoes collected in nature reserves in the Atlantic Forest, a heavily deforested region of Brazil. Several of the collected species showed \u201ca clear preference for feeding on humans,\u201d said Jeronimo Alencar, a biologist at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Brazil and an author of the paper, in a statement.<\/p>\n The findings jibe with previous evidence that deforestation brings humans in more contact with creatures that spread deadly diseases. Mosquitoes can transmit Zika, dengue fever, malaria and encephalitis, to name a few illnesses\u2014all of which are harmful to human health and can kill.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n The findings were published on Thursday in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.<\/p>\n According to the researchers, the Atlantic Forest supports about 270 mammalian species, 850 kinds of birds and about 570 reptiles and amphibians. The forest once spanned 1.3 million square kilometers across Brazil\u2014an area larger than Texas and California combined. But it has been reduced to less than a third of that size by agricultural and residential development.<\/p>\n The study has several limitations. For one, it only analyzed blood from 145 female mosquitoes, and not all these samples could be identified, so it\u2019s unclear how broadly the results can be applied. It\u2019s also unclear how mosquitoes\u2019 preferences have changed since the Atlantic Forest was fully intact.<\/p>\n Still, the study could help researchers better understand the complex relationship between deforestation and disease. Humans eliminate about 10 million hectares of forest per year. \u201cDeforestation reduces local biodiversity, causing mosquitoes, including vectors of pathogenic agents, to disperse and seek alternative food sources,\u201d the authors write. And those sources, it turns out, may be us.<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American<\/span> has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American<\/span> subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm <\/span>always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/span>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.<\/p>\n There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" January 15, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Mosquitoes Show a Clear Preference for Human Blood after Deforestation Mosquitoes captured in the remnants of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil predominantly feasted on humans instead of other animals, a new study shows By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron Mosquitoes are nature\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[1453,10296,16073,761,13351,22197,241],"class_list":{"0":"post-41839","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-blood","9":"tag-clear","10":"tag-deforestation","11":"tag-human","12":"tag-mosquitoes","13":"tag-preference","14":"tag-show"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}On supporting science journalism<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s Time to Stand Up for Science<\/h2>\n