It sounds like a city legend — a mosquito that evolved in the depths of the London Underground, feeding on commuters beneath the streets. But new research reveals that this insect’s story stretches much further back — all the way to ancient Egypt.

Scientists from Princeton University, working with over 150 research teams worldwide, have traced the ancestry of Culex pipiens f. molestus, the so-called “London Underground mosquito,” to mosquito populations that lived in Egypt’s Nile Delta between 12,500 and 2,000 years ago.

🧬 A Mosquito Older Than Modern Cities

Once thought to be a product of modern urban evolution, Culex pipiens molestus turns out to be part of an ancient lineage that adapted early to human settlements — breeding in enclosed spaces and preferring to bite people rather than birds.

This adaptation predates modern cities, suggesting mosquitoes have long followed humans into their homes, tunnels, and storage areas — evolving alongside civilization itself.

🌡️ Why It Matters Today

Both the human-biting and bird-biting forms of Culex pipiens can interbreed, creating hybrids that transmit diseases such as West Nile virus from birds to humans. Researchers believe such hybridization events may have contributed to outbreaks over the past two decades.

The discovery reminds us that mosquito evolution and human history are intertwined — and that monitoring their adaptation is key to preventing disease transmission today.