Mosquito repellents come in many forms from zappers to catchers and candles to sprays. But which ones really work? A computers will tell us. Experts from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and have developed a computer modeling programs that looks at compounds chemical stracture and predicts which compounds are likely to stop mosquito bites. Defeating DEET for more than 50 years, DEET has been regarded as the best insect repellent. DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) has been proven effective in preventing biting insects such as mosquitos and ticks from zeroing in on your skin.
But out comes the competition, Using the computer program the ARS scientists have developed, scientists have discovered new chemicals that last three times longer than hte equivalent concentration of DEET. The chemical last longer, plus, these dont have the unpleasant smell or stickiness of the most common mosquito repellent to search for novel repellent compounds, the group taught a computer program to recognize the structural features of a chemical that would make it a good mosquito repellent.