Kaiming Tan, an undergraduate working with Professor Walter Leal at the UC Davis Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, recently put a home-brewed clove repellent to the test against DEET. Their paper was just published in PLOS One.

While we know certain plant-derived compounds act as insect repellents, much of the molecular science behind insect olfaction remains a mystery. In a study published in iScience, UC Davis researchers exposed further layers of complexity in the mosquito olfactory system.

Ian Haydon’s entrance into science writing occurred in whirlwind fashion. As a graduate student, he was intent on obtaining a Ph.D. but also knew he was more interested in careers outside of academic research. He then found science writing.