There is little evidence that over-the-counter cures for insect bites work, according to new research today.

The hotel

1. Encounters at the End of the World

£10.99, hmv.com

Director Werner Herzog comes up trumps in this documentary about the polar explorers of the National Science Foundation Station.

In the small Honduran village of Cocobila, a few metres from the Caribbean, there is a small cemetery filled with the graves of young men. Amid the makeshift crucifixes, Carlos Evans has just been buried. He died four days ago, aged 32, leaving a wife and two small daughters.

Catching crustaceans is a vital source of income for the divers of the Mosquito Coast. But the depths they plumb can prove fatal. Jenny Kleeman reports from Cocobila, Honduras

Hard-bitten hacks scoop to conquer

Can a gin and tonic keep the mozzies away? Does a paper bag prevent jet lag? Kunal Dutta and Lyndsey Fineran get to the truth

The 1897 Klondike gold rush brought thousands to the Yukon. Sarah Barrell follows the trail and discovers the precious metal is coming back

Travel View

Scientists have figured out a way to block the spread of malaria using genetically-modified (GM) mosquitoes that carry synthetic genes to curb the transmission of the blood parasite when the insect bites its human host.

But, be warned, a new exhibition shows what a beastly business animal reproduction can be

A genetically modified mosquito carrying an artificial fragment of DNA designed to curb the insect's fertility has been released for the first time in south-east Asia as part of an ambitious attempt to combat deadly dengue fever that affects up to 100 million people worldwide.

Military aircraft dropped supplies to towns cut off by floods in northeastern Australia as the prime minister promised new assistance yesterday to the 200,000 people affected by waters covering an area larger than France and Germany combined.