Olfactory system evolution in insects

Insects use their sense of smell to find food, mating partners or to avoid danger. Carbon dioxide is an important cue for insects. Interestingly, fruitflies reject it strongly, while mosquitoes use it to find human or animal hosts for blood feeding. CO₂ and its detection is a field of active research, because we hope to contribute knowledge to the fight against malaria and other deadly diseases. Certain genes could have played an important role during evolution making mosquitoes attracted and fruitflies repelled by CO₂.