Mosquitoes placed in a container. Credit: Mark Sherwood and Raymond St. Leger To combat mosquito-borne illnesses that claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year, scientists have enlisted an unexpected partner: a fungus that gives off a floral scent. By exploiting mosquitoes' attraction to flowers, an international team of researchers engineered a new strain of Metarhizium fungus that releases a sweet aroma similar to real blooms. The modified fungus draws in the insects and infects them,