Why was gin and tonic the cocktail of choice for British colonists in India and Africa? What does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? What has protected the lives of popes for millennia? Why did Scotland surrender its sovereignty to England? What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution?  The answer to all these questions, and many more, is the mosquito. Across our planet since the dawn of humankind, this nefarious pest, roughly the size and weight of a grape seed, has been at the frontlines of history as the grim reaper, the harvester of human populations, and the ultimate agent of historical change.  The mosquito has determined the fates of empires and nations, razed and crippled economies, and decided the outcome of pivotal wars including three American Revolution and Civil War.  As the greatest purveyor of extermination we have ever known, she (only females bite) has played a greater…