10,773 Number of protein-coding genes possessed by Pediculus humanus humanus (L.), the human body louse, according to a new study. Ten of those genes code for odor receptors, which researchers anticipate could become targets for future louse repellents. With 108 million DNA base pairs, the louse has the smallest known insect genome.
98 Percentage of people worldwide who host Demodex folliculorum or Demodex brevis, the only two arthropod species that permanently colonize the human body. These microscopic, eight-legged mites live in the follicles of our eyelashes, eyebrows, and nose hairs, where they feed on dead skin cells and oil.
81 Percent increase in bedbug calls to pest-control companies in the United States between 2000 and 2010, according to the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky. The banned insecticide DDT nearly drove these nocturnal, crevice-dwelling, biting insects to extinction nationwide during the mid-20th century, but they have recently ...
