Visit mosquito research center under the city of London

Beneath the busy streets in central London, UK, there is a hot, damp and bustling basement where mosquitoes are heard. This is where scientists at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine work.

Mosquito research center under the city of London

They conduct studies involving mosquitoes at the coal mine and this old bomb shelter because the environment is quite similar to the environment in tropical areas, suitable for mosquito breeding and development.

The mosquitoes are being tested.

"Working here is very hot, but mosquitoes like this environmental condition," said Sarah Kelly, a scientist at the Center for Arthritis Animal Products Control Center (ARCTEC) . Kelly spent a lot of time in the basement to take care of mosquitoes, the main object of the study.

ARCTEC has to test products such as mosquito repellent and mosquito repellent to ensure they work effectively before being released to the market. And the most effective way to test mosquitoes is to find a volunteer to try the product and get in contact with mosquitoes to see if they burn.

The female editor of Motherboad site also participated in direct testing for people to see by putting their hand in a hungry mosquito cage to let them burn. In another experiment, she wore mosquito-repellent clothing, which was capable of eliminating chemicals and odors to help mosquitoes detect human skin.

The editor's arm was full of mosquito bites after participating in the experiment.

Mosquitoes are tested in Stegomyia aegypti from Africa. This mosquito species is the agent that spread dengue fever and yellow fever, two types of diseases that can endanger human life. However, the mosquitoes in the laboratory were completely clean, many generations of mosquitoes grew up in the laboratory, never exposed to germs. To ensure safety, the mosquitoes are raised only for testing once, immediately after contact with humans, these mosquitoes will be destroyed.

"We are very often bitten by mosquitoes and often joke that this is a revenge on mosquitoes for us to use them for testing , " Kelly said.