Mosquito-Proof Clothing…
This could be a game changer!
Scientists at Auburn University have discovered a unique knit that by its geometric structure, blocks mosquito bites.
The scientists wanted to find a new approach to dealing with mosquitoes, which kill hundreds of thousands of people globally each year, particularly children under the age of five in developing countries—through the spread of diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and West Nile virus.
Millions of other people get sick and survive, but might miss days or weeks of work. (And, of course, even when the bites don’t spread disease, they’re incredibly annoying.)
If you’ve ever been bitten through your clothes you know that a typical long-sleeve shirt doesn’t offer protection.
The research team started by testing samples of existing clothing and found that even tight knits, like compression gear from Under Armour, didn’t block bites.
The problem is that the mosquito’s proboscis, the needle-like appendage that it uses for biting, is longer than most fabric is thick.
Using knitting machines that can be programmed with different patterns, the team experimented until it found a pattern that could block a bite.
