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Source: ONE News -
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British scientists say interfering in mosquitoes' sex lives could help to halt the spread of malaria.
A study on the species of mosquito mainly responsible for malaria transmission in Africa, shows because they mate only once in their lives, meddling with that process could dramatically cut their numbers.
Researchers have found that a so-called "mating plug" - used by male mosquitoes to ensure their sperm stays in the right place in the female - is essential to fertilise eggs.
Without the mating plug, fertilisation is disrupted.
Forty percent of the world's population is at risk of malaria, and more than a million people die each year.
Children account for about 90% of the deaths in the worst affected areas.
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