Infectious diseases such as Zika and Dengue remain a top contributor to death and disability across the globe, according to the World Health Organization. Diagnosing and treating these diseases, which often have similar symptoms, is especially difficult in developing countries, where access to health care and laboratories is often limited.

Microbes are well-known among biologists as master engineers of useful small molecules, and there are many tricks of their trade. When researchers at the University of Illinois took a closer look at how a known microbe makes a known so-called natural product, they were rewarded with the discovery of a completely unknown biochemical trick.

Leslie Vosshall, Robin Chemers Neustein Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, and Director of the Kavli Neural Systems Institute at The Rockefeller University, will speak as part of the IGB's Genomics and Society Distinguished Public Lecture series at 5:00 p.m. on April 9, 2019 at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. Her talk is entitled "Thirst for Blood: Mosquito Neurobiology and Behavior."