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Published online 13 March 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.672
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How DEET jams insects' smell sensors
Scientists uncover a mechanism that should help them identify better repellents.
Anyone who has sprayed their skin with the insect repellent DEET and then picked up a plastic water bottle has probably felt a twinge of concern as the bottle starts to disintegrate in their hands. A new study pinpointing exactly how the repellent works will hopefully lead the way to other chemicals that have the same (or better) insect-deterring effect without the inconvenience of dissolving plastic.
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