The Dose: Sweet Summertime

Mosquitos, sunscreen, & two different days of summer

Welcome to The Dose! We’re delivering bi-weekly health and science updates right to your inbox, and we’re including some humor, art, and fun along the way.

---

---

The Unbiased Science Podcast is on break for the summer! Don’t worry, we’re still putting out bi-weekly issues of The Dose, and daily infographics on our social channels, but we’re taking some time off from creating podcast episodes. That being said, if you didn’t get a chance to check out our season finale with Dr. Liz O’Riordan, we highly recommend you give it a watch or a listen. We’re discussing breast cancer genetics, testing, screening, and more.

---

Speaking of summer… The first day of summer is just around the corner (June 21st), but did you know there’s an astronomical first day of summer and a meteorological first day of summer? Check out this short article to learn the difference between the two.

---

We can’t have a summer discussion without mentioning the importance of sunscreen. Did you know claims that sunscreen can be absorbed in our bloodstream and that it damages our Earth’s ecosystems are actually not backed by science? And did you know that when shopping for sunscreen, you need to look for water resistant, broad spectrum brands? Check out the infographic we created, as well as our podcast episode with Dr. Michelle Wong to learn more!

---

Mosquitos: one of the most annoying parts of summer. Scientists in Israel claim they have created a mosquito repellent that creates a chemical camouflage for your skin. They say it offers long range protection and a long duration of protection. They hope to bring it to market in 2024, but in the meantime, you can read more about it and watch a video here.

---

While we’re on the topic of mosquitos, have you ever wondered what attracts them to humans, versus other animals? Well, a paper published in May 2022 appears to have found the answer. In short, there’s a pathway that’s activated in mosquito brains when they’re near a particular odor that’s only produced by humans. You can read more about it here and check out the abstract of the paper here.

---

In our last issue, we asked a poll question about 3D printed food. While many of you found it a bit too weird (even in the name of science!), the majority of you are actually intrigued and would give it a try!

Would you try 3D printed food?

Yes! 3D food is the future! 65%

No. Even for science, this is weird 35%

---

That’s it for this issue! If you’re not currently a subscriber, we’d love to have you! If you are, thanks for being here! Feel free to share this with your friends, family, and coworkers!