Scientists Sequence the Genomes of 16 Mosquitoes to Shed Light on Malaria

A certain genetics study has shed some light in how malaria is transmitted. An international research team determined the genetic sequencing of 16 mosquitoes to show how they've adapted to humans as primary hosts of the disease.

The scientists actually used computational methods to reconstruct ancestral mosquito genomes. Then, they analyzed their chromosomal evolution over the past hundred million years. Their hope is to understand how chromosomes evolved and to unravel potential adaptation mechanisms related to malaria transmission.

While only mosquitoes belonging to a certain species transmit human malaria, not all species within the genus are efficient malaria carriers. This suggests that there's an underlying genetic factor.

"This is a very exciting project because there is no way we could sequence the genomes of long-dead ancestral mosquitoes species, without precious data from current species that was supplied by the biological team," said Cedric Chauve, one of the researchers, in a news release.

Sequencing the 16 new mosquito genomes will contribute to further understanding the genomic adaptability of mosquitoes in transmitting malaria. This, in turn, could allow researchers to develop new ways to combat malaria.

The findings are published in the journal Science Express.

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).