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	Podcast:		UC Science Today
	Episode:		A wearable patch that renders you invisible to mosquitoes
	Category:		Science & Medicine
	Duration:		00:01:02
	Publish Date:		2016-01-25 00:00:00
	Description:		Sometime this year, consumers will be able to buy a first-generation version of a wearable patch that can serve as a protective shield against bloodthirsty mosquitoes. The Kite Patch works by rendering the user seemingly invisible to mosquitoes by emitting odors that block their ability to detect the carbon dioxide that humans exhale. The technology is based on University of California, Riverside research and as Anandasankar Ray, who led the project, explains, it will hit the market soon because it uses ingredients that are considered safe by the EPA. "Most of the chemicals we are using are actually classified as ‘generally regarded as safe – GRAS’, so a very special classification for the food and flavor industry. That means that there’s a lot of testing that has already occurred with those chemicals." Nearly a billion people worldwide are affected by mosquito-borne diseases and half a million people die each year from malaria – many are young children. "So there are immediate needs to try and find ways to prevent the spread of these diseases." http://www.kitepatch.com/
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