Mosquitoes have an extraordinary ability to target humans far away and fly straight to their unprotected skin. Regrettably, mosquitoes can do more than cause an itchy wound. Some mosquitoes spread several serious diseases, including Dengue, yellow fever and malaria. Over one million people die from these mosquito-borne diseases each year. New research now shows how mosquitoes choose who to bite. Mosquitoes need blood to survive. They are attracted to human skin and breath. They smell CO2 -- which all mammals breathe out. This gas is how mosquitoes know that a warm-blooded creature is nearby. But mosquitoes also use their eyes and sense of touch. Michael Dickinson is a professor at the California Institute of Technology. His research shows how these small insects, with even smaller brains, use three senses to find a blood meal. Michael Dickinson's team used plumes – material that rises into the air -- of carbon dioxide gas into a wind tunnel. They then used cameras to record the mosquitoes. The insects followed the plume. Then, the scientists placed dark objects on the lighter colored floor and walls of the tunnel. Mr. Dickinson said, at first, the mosquitoes showed no interest in the objects at all. This suggested to the researchers that a mosquito’s sense of smell is more important in the search for food. Once mosquitoes catch a smell of a human or animal, they also follow visual cues. This process happens several times over the course of a mosquito's flight. Michael Dickinson explains. Matt DeGennaro is a scientist at Florida International University. He says understanding a mosquito’s way of finding its host could help prevent those insects from biting. He is working to create genetic changes that affect the mosquito's sense of smell. The study, published in Current Biology, details the steps of the mosquito's flight so that we may one day have a fighting chance against the biting insect.