Boston University · BiologyThe Olfactory Odyssey Lab
Meg Younger · Boston, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Meg Younger's lab at Boston University focuses on understanding how mosquitoes, specifically Aedes aegypti, detect human odors to find their hosts for biting. This research is critical because mosquitoes are vectors for dangerous diseases like dengue and Zika. By examining the neural circuits in the mosquito brain, the lab aims to uncover how these insects interpret various sensory cues, which may lead to novel strategies for controlling mosquito populations and preventing disease transmission.
Aedes aegyptihuman odor detectionneural circuitsmosquito behaviordisease transmissiontrans-synaptic labelingolfactory systemneurosciencepublic healthgenetic methods
Research Aims
3AIM 01Identify neurons in the mosquito brain that encode human odor.
AIM 02Determine how olfactory information converges for human host seeking.
AIM 03Investigate circuit mechanisms that integrate odor and carbon dioxide detection.
Skills the Lab Values
trans-synaptic labelinggenetic engineeringmosquito handlingneuroscience techniquesimmunohistochemistryanatomical tracingdata collectionbehavioral assaysmolecular biology techniquesCRISPR
Output against the department
Publications29bottom 3% of dept.994th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations1.1kbottom 6% of dept.976th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.