48 POPULAR SCIENCE
by Bryan Gardiner / photograph by The Voorhes FOR ANOTHER (ACTUAL-SIZE) SMALL WONDER, SEE PAGE 66Weaving dates back to the Paleolithic era, some 27,000 years ago, and preceeds the
domestication of plants and animals and farming. Hungry humans may have used
nets to snare prey. Since then, mesh has played an essential part in our comfort and
survival. One of its most prominent current incarnations is the mosquito net, a life-
or-death level essential protective covering in some countries. Thanks to machines
that churn out cotton, polyester, polypropylene, and nylon weaves as ine as 0.6 mm,
the air-permeable shields can work as a key tool in preventing the spread of malaria
and other bug-borne illnesses. Insecticide-treated mesh helped prevent more than
600 million cases of malaria and saved 6.8 million lives between 2000 and 2015.ITEM:
MeshINVENTED:
25,000 BCUSE:
Stopping bugs