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The music of the electronic artist Skrillex could constitute an effective means of protection against mosquitoes, according to a recent scientific study.
A team of international scientists specializing in the insects and diseases they carry has subjected adults of the species Aedes aegypti, known as the yellow fever mosquito, to electronic music to measure the results.
They wrote: "Sound and reception are essential for the reproduction, survival and maintenance of many animals.
"In insects, low-frequency vibrations facilitate badual interactions, while noise disrupts the perception of congeners' signals. [members of the same species] and hosts. "
The aedes aegypti mosquito, commonly found in tropical regions of the world and known for white markings on its feet, is known to spread dangerous and even fatal diseases such as Zika virus, dengue and yellow fever.
Skrillex's Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites dubstep track, which combines very high and low frequencies, was chosen to see if electronic music could be an effective repellent.
According to the results, adult female mosquitoes "divertized" by the track attacked the hosts later and less often than those living in a duplicate-free environment, and "the frequency of blood-feeding activities was lower when the music was played.
What's more, adults exposed to music "copulate much less often" than those living in a region without music.
"The observation that such music can delay the attack of the host, reduce the blood supply and disrupt the mating provides new avenues for the development of protection and personal control measures based on music against Aedes-transmitted diseases. "
The study was published in the scientific journal Arcta Tropica on March 25 and has attracted some interest since on social media.
"Maybe we can eliminate malaria by simply playing on @Skrillex across Africa," wrote a Twitter user.
"Imagine putting skrillex and all the mozzies are like" ah, the damn root is now packing guys, "joked another.
Responding to an article from the study on Reddit, where it was shared under the title "The Electronic Song" Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites "Reduces the Success of Host Attacks and Reproduction in the Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti" , a Reddit user replied simply: "me too".
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites reached 77th place in the UK's official standings in 2010 and sold more than 2,000,000 units in the United States, where he won the best dance record in the 54th Grammy Awards.
Skrillex, whose real name is Sonny John Moore, has not responded to requests for comment.
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