Deciphering the Rosetta Stone of Insect Chemical Communication

Imagine a world with an abundance of pesticide-free produce, no more flies and yellow jackets at picnics, and— more importantly—no diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and other arthropods. Welcome to Utopia! In the real world, however, chemical ecologists are pushing the envelope towards these ambitious goals. They are working diligently to decipher the “Rosetta Stone” of insect chemical communication to reduce our dependence on conventional agricultural chemicals and to mitigate mosquito bites and consequent transmission of vector-borne diseases. These may seem like utopian goals, but we must never underestimate the potential of scientific knowledge to grow exponentially and beyond our imaginations. The proverb “shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you will land among the stars” is exactly what chemical ecologists are doing. They rely on molecules, large or small, for their moonshot.