{"id":533503,"date":"2023-03-06T13:34:34","date_gmt":"2023-03-06T19:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/surprising-these-mosquitoes-drink-blood-until-they-explode\/"},"modified":"2023-03-22T16:33:51","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T22:33:51","slug":"surprising-these-mosquitoes-drink-blood-until-they-explode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/surprising-these-mosquitoes-drink-blood-until-they-explode\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprising, these mosquitoes drink blood until they explode."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Caution: This content contains graphic images. In a video by Perran Ross, Ph.D., it is observed that mosquitoes that have undergone a simple operation lose the ability to sense when they have had their fill of blood, leading them to continue drinking until they burst.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>There is a technique to make mosquitoes feed until they explode, which requires a small incision.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MosWhisperer\/status\/1242410463444402177\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/MosWhisperer\/status\/1242410463444402177<\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p>More than 50 years ago, Dr. Robert Gwadz discovered that by making an incision in the ventral nerve cord of a mosquito, the signal that signals satiety is cut, causing an unquenchable thirst for blood.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Mosquitoes undergo this procedure can drink more than four times their weight and eventually explode.<\/p>\n\n<p>The discovery led Dr. Gwadz to hypothesize that blood ingestion is regulated by abdominal stretch receptors that prevent mosquitoes from drinking to death.<\/p>\n\n<p>Inspired by scientific curiosity, Dr. Perran Rose decided to perform the procedure on female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (the only ones that feed on blood) that he had placed in the refrigerator for an hour to immobilize them.<\/p>\n\n<p>Then, under a dissecting microscope, I use one pair of forceps to immobilize the mosquito on its side and a second pair to pinch the abdomen, crushing the ventral nerve cord.<\/p>\n\n<p>The next day, he let the mosquitoes feed on his arm. And then the magic happened.<\/p>\n\n<p><iframe class=\"giphy-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/IQfAnMiVcXtNOPLwed\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n<p>The mosquitoes drank far more than their fair share of blood and became unable to fly or even walk. Others went even further, drinking so much that they finally exploded. Often, they will continue to feed long after their abdomens have been ruptured, unaware that what was going in was coming straight out the other end.<\/p>\n\n<p>Although the results are spectacular, performing surgery on individual mosquitoes is not a practical way to control mosquito populations or reduce the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases.<\/p>\n\n<p>Source of information<a href=\"https:\/\/entomologytoday.org\/2020\/03\/19\/when-a-mosquito-cant-stop-drinking-blood-the-result-isnt-pretty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1678131817603\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can mosquitoes drink blood until they explode?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes, it is true that mosquitoes can drink blood until they explode. This is because, once they have undergone a simple operation that cuts the ventral nerve cord, they lose the ability to sense when they are satiated with blood and continue to drink until their abdomen swells so much that it explodes.  <br \/>However, it is important to note that this phenomenon occurs in mosquitoes that have been manipulated in the laboratory and not in nature, and that this is not a practical way to control mosquito populations or reduce the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Caution: This content contains graphic images. In a video by Perran Ross, Ph.D., it is observed that mosquitoes that have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":527643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"two_page_speed":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[107085],"tags":[107233,107239,107237,107235,107236,107232],"class_list":["post-533503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","tag-blood","tag-drink","tag-exploit","tag-female","tag-hematophages","tag-mosquitoes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/mosquito.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdR79Q-2eMT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":596984,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/the-deadliest-animal-on-the-planet-causes-over-a-million-deaths-a-year\/","url_meta":{"origin":533503,"position":0},"title":"The Deadliest Animal on the Planet Causes Over a Million Deaths a Year","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"July 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Every year, more than a million people die because of the\u00a0deadliest animal in the world. It's not a giant predator or an exotic venomous creature, but a tiny, everyday insect: the mosquito. And its threat is far from diminishing. A Killer Animal, Invisible and Underestimated When we think of lethal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Noticias&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Noticias","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/category\/noticias\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"El animal m\u00e1s letal del planeta provoca m\u00e1s de un mill\u00f3n de fallecimientos al a\u00f1o","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/portada-1-33.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/portada-1-33.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/portada-1-33.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/portada-1-33.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/portada-1-33.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":587258,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/laser-beam-kills-mosquitoes-mid-flight\/","url_meta":{"origin":533503,"position":1},"title":"A Laser Beam That Kills Mosquitoes Mid-Flight Goes Viral and Stuns the Internet","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"July 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A Chinese laboratory has developed a technology that seems straight out of science fiction: an autonomous laser beam capable of detecting and eliminating mosquitoes mid-flight with surgical precision and without using chemicals. However, the breakthrough is not without ecological concerns. A Ray of Hope Against Mosquito-Borne Diseases In southern China,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/news-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Laser Beam That Kills Mosquitoes Mid-Flight Goes Viral and Stuns the Internet","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/portada-1-30.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/portada-1-30.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/portada-1-30.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/portada-1-30.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/portada-1-30.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":541218,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/australian-stingless-bees-curious-honeycombs\/","url_meta":{"origin":533503,"position":2},"title":"Australian Stingless bees: creators of the world\u2019s most complex honeycombs","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"July 31, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently, some social networks have uploaded videos that are quite curious about some honeycombs that are considered \u00abstrange\u00bb. 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It's the \u00abTetragonula hockingsi\u00bb, the stingless bees\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Wildlife&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Wildlife","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/wildlife\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Australian stingless bees: creators of the world\u2019s most complex honeycombs","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/abejas-sin-aguijon-australianas-creadoras-de-los-panales-mas-bellos-del-mundo-portada-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/abejas-sin-aguijon-australianas-creadoras-de-los-panales-mas-bellos-del-mundo-portada-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/abejas-sin-aguijon-australianas-creadoras-de-los-panales-mas-bellos-del-mundo-portada-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/abejas-sin-aguijon-australianas-creadoras-de-los-panales-mas-bellos-del-mundo-portada-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/abejas-sin-aguijon-australianas-creadoras-de-los-panales-mas-bellos-del-mundo-portada-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":596077,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/erythritol-study-reveals-about-brain-barrier\/","url_meta":{"origin":533503,"position":3},"title":"Erythritol under scientific scrutiny: what a study reveals about the brain barrier","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"February 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Erythritol is a popular sweetener in sugar-free products, valued for its low metabolic impact. 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We explain","author":"Rodrigo Vazquez","date":"March 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Embryogenesis refers to the process of embryo development from fertilization of the egg to the formation of a complete fetus. Although dolphins and humans belong to different taxonomic groups (dolphins are marine mammals and humans are terrestrial primates), they share some similarities in their embryogenesis because they are both placental\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Medicine&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Medicine","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/health\/medicine-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/embriones.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/embriones.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/embriones.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/embriones.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/embriones.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533503"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":533512,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533503\/revisions\/533512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/527643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}