US EditionStudy shows mosquitoes evolved human-biting habits 1.8 million years ago
A genetic study shows mosquitoes in Sundaland developed a preference for early hominins like Homo erectus 1.8 million years ago, predating modern human arrival, researchers say.
- An analysis of modern mosquito DNA shows an ancestral species in the Anopheles leucosphyrus group developed a preference for feeding on hominins between 2.9 and 1.6 million years ago, researchers report February 26 in Scientific Reports.
- Around 1.8 million years ago, researchers say abundant Homo erectus in Sundaland likely provided steady hosts, driving mosquitoes’ adaptation through multiple changes in olfactory receptor genes.
- By sequencing DNA from 38 mosquitoes collected between 1992 and 2020, the team used more than 2,500 nuclear genes, 13 mitochondrial genes, mutation-rate estimates and computer models to reconstruct evolutionary history.
- Researchers say the genetic results provide independent evidence supporting early hominin presence, noting malaria infected 282 million people and caused 610,000 deaths in 2024, highlighting its public-health relevance.
- Comparative timelines show African malaria vectors like Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii developed human preference later, between about 509,000 and 61,000 years ago, while modern humans arrived only 76,000–63,000 years ago and about 100 of roughly 3,600 mosquito species bite humans.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Study shows mosquitoes evolved human-biting habits 1.8 million years ago
Scientists have found that the malaria-transmitting 'Anopheles' species developed a taste for humans around 2 million years ago, a period overlapping with the arrival of 'Homo erectus', an extinct ancestral hominin species, into southeast Asia 1.8 million years ago
Evolution: Ancient mosquitoes developed a taste for early hominins
The preference of some mosquitoes in the Anopheles leucosphyrus (Leucosphyrus) group — including those that transmit malaria — for feeding on humans may have evolved in response to the arrival of early hominins in Southeast Asia around 1.8 million years ago.
Observador
IOL PortugalThe results of the study suggest that the preference for human food emerged in the Anopheles group between 2.9 and 1.6 million years ago, in a region known as Sundalandia.
Mosquitoes Developed a Taste for Human Blood Before We Existed
Despite how much we equate mosquitoes with getting itchy red welts, most of the 3,500 known species of mosquitoes don’t feed on humans. Still, mosquitoes that are anthropophilic—preferring human blood—are responsible for the transmission of devastating human pathogens. Malaria alone infected 282 million people and caused 610,000 deaths across 80 countries in 2024, according to the World Health Organization. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free exp…
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