双语早读丨肥皂能驱蚊？研究发现用错肥皂反而更招蚊子

据英国《卫报》报道，弗吉尼亚理工学院暨州立大学的研究人员在iScience（《交叉科学》）上发布的研究论文显示，用一些肥皂洗脸会吸引蚊子，而另一些肥皂则会驱蚊，但这些效果在不同的人身上有所不同。

[Photo/Pexels]

用肥皂擦洗身体似乎是一种合理的驱蚊方法，因为如果蚊子闻不到你的气味，就不会咬你。

Lathering up with soap might seem a reasonable mosquito-evasion strategy on the basis that if they can’t smell you, they can’t bite you.

然而，一项研究表明，肥皂的香味非但不能帮助你隐藏自己，反而可能使你成为更吸引蚊子的目标。

However, a study suggests that rather than helping you go incognito, soapy fragrances could make you a more attractive target.

研究人员称，蚊子可能被肥皂吸引，因为当它们不以血液为食时，会用植物花蜜来补充糖分摄入。

The scientists behind the research said mosquitoes may be attracted to soap because, when they are not feeding on blood, they supplement their sugar intake with plant nectars.

弗吉尼亚理工学院暨州立大学领导这项研究的克莱蒙·维纳格说："人们身上染上那些花香、果香，意味着现在同一个物体闻起来像花和人。这就像一觉醒来，闻到既像咖啡又像松饼的味道。这非常吸引蚊子。"

“The fact we are taking those flowery, fruity smells and putting them on our bodies means that now the same object smells like a flower and a person at the same time,” said Clément Vinauger, who led the work at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. “It would be like waking up and smelling something that was like both coffee and muffins. Very appealing.”

然而，该研究还指出，肥皂的效果在人与人之间存在差异，这可能是因为肥皂和每个人的独特气味特征之间产生了相互作用。

However, the study also noted that the effects of soaps differed somewhat between people, possibly due to interactions between the soaps and each person’s unique odour profile.

维纳格说：“值得注意的是，在未洗澡时易招蚊子的人，用一种肥皂洗澡会变得对蚊子更具吸引力，然后再用另一种肥皂洗澡，能起到驱蚊效果。”

Vinauger said: “It’s remarkable that the same individual that is extremely attractive to mosquitoes when they are unwashed can be turned even more attractive to mosquitoes with one soap, and then become repellent or repulsive to mosquitoes with another soap.”

科学家们得出结论，肥皂的选择可以部分解释为什么有些人招蚊子，而另一些人却没有被咬。

The scientists concluded that soap choice could partially explain why some people are mosquito magnets while others get off bite-free.

研究人员选择了4名人类志愿者，提交了他们在未洗澡或用四种不同品牌的肥皂（Dial，Dove，Native和Simple Truth）清洗后所穿的袖子织物样本。观察雌性蚊子（只有雌性蚊子以血为食）落在哪些织物样品上，从而判断它们的偏好。为了排除呼出的二氧化碳的影响，研究使用织物而不是直接暴露志愿者皮肤，二氧化碳是另一个主要影响因素。

The study recruited four volunteers who submitted fabric samples that they had worn as a sleeve while either unwashed or after washing with four different brands of soap – Dial, Dove, Native, and Simple Truth. Female mosquitoes – only females feed on blood – were observed landing on the fabric samples to give an indication of their preference. Fabric was used rather than exposing the volunteers themselves, to exclude the effects of exhaled carbon dioxide, which is another important cue for mosquitoes.

用Dove、Dial和Simple Truth牌香皂清晰增加了部分（但不是全部）志愿者对分子的吸引力，而用Native牌肥皂更驱蚊。研究人员称，Native牌肥皂驱蚊效果相对较好可能与其椰子香味有关，因为有证据表明椰子油具有驱蚊效果。

Washing with Dove, Dial and Simple Truth increased the attractiveness of some, but not all, volunteers, while washing with Native soap tended to repel mosquitoes. The relatively repellent effect of Native could be linked to its coconut scent, the scientists said, as there is some evidence that coconut oils are a natural deterrent for mosquitoes.

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来源：中国日报网英语点津 （编辑：董静 李蕙帆）

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