4

That’s the number of days a female mosquito feels full after consuming human blood (males don’t consume blood). Frequent feedings can lead to the spread of diseases like yellow fever, dengue, and Zika. But researchers say they’ve been able to suppress the mosquito’s appetite for blood with human diet drugs. The drugs, Science Daily reports, could be a useful alternative to insecticides, which are failing because mosquitoes are developing resistance.

— DAVID SCHARFENBERG