The scientists tested the same six volunteers against one another for six nights. They found that the mosquitoes were most attracted to a participant who gave off high levels of carboxylic acids, which are produced by skin microbes and sebum, an oily residue secreted by glands in the skin. The volunteer least attractive to the mosquitoes emitted not only low levels of carboxylic acids, but also lots of eucalyptol, a plant-derived compound that is common in a variety of foods and is known to repel mosquitoes.

— Read more in How to Build a Scent Smorgasbord for Mosquitoes at The New York Times.