Mosquitoes find people to sting by using their sense of smell. The bloodsuckers hone in on their targets when their olfactory organs, antenna, and probiscus, detect odor molecules.

The odor that attracts mosquitoes comes from the carboxylic acid produced by microbes in animal and human skin. A team of researchers led by Maria Elena de Obaldia from Rockefeller University in New York found this out through a stockings experiment.

The researchers had volunteers wear nylon sleeves in their arms for hours to gather carboxylic acids from their skin. When the sleeves were placed in a box with mosquitoes later, those with a higher amount of the acid attracted more insects. This explains why some people are mosquito magnets or more prone to mosquito bites than others.

Mosquitoes are choosing who to bite based on several — potentially many — odors emanating from our skin, De Obaldia said, according to New Scientist.

The findings were published in the biology journal Cell.

In contrast, some people are turned off by the acidic smell of a sweat from other people. This fact prompted the imposition of an unusual barangay basketball league regulation in Tulunan, Cotabato.

The new rule was required before players enter the basketball court to play their game. It was meant to promote personal hygiene among players, GTV "State of the Nation" reported.

Explaining the rule, youth council chairperson Yang Lamera of Barangay Dungos said that it is unavoidable that players who heavily sweat during a game can give off a foul odor, according to the report.

Initially, players felt awkward following the new rule of applying tawas (potassium aluminum sulfate or potash alum) on their underarms before stepping on the court. But Lamera said the players understood the reason for the regulation and already got used to using the deodorant before every game.