An international team has uncovered surprising details about mosquito mating, which could lead to improved malaria control techniques and even help develop precision drone flight. The team revealed that when a male Anopheles coluzzii mosquito hears the sound of female-specific wingbeats, his eyes ‘activate’ and he visually scans the immediate vicinity for a potential mate. This strong link between males hearing the female-like buzz and moving toward an object in their field of vision may open up a new route for mosquito control: a new generation of traps specific to the Anopheles mosquitoes that spread malaria.
