Why join groups? Lessons from parasite-manipulated Artemia

'Suicide' of crickets harbouring hairworms: A proteomics investigation

Do Leucochloridium sporocysts manipulate the behaviour of their snail hosts?

*Parasite Rex*

Parasitoid increases survival of its pupae by inducing hosts to fight predators

Ecosystem energetic implications of parasite and free-living biomass in three estuaries

Nematomorph parasites drive energy flow through a riparian ecosystem

I mispronounced the Japanese scientist Takuya Sato's name as Takuya Soto. I sincerely regret the error.

Carl Zimmer: Parasite tales: The jewel wasp's zombie slave

Mice infected with low-virulence strains of Toxoplasma gondii lose their innate aversion to cat urine, even after extensive parasite clearance

Increased incidence of traffic accidents in Toxoplasma-infected military drivers and protective effect RhD molecule revealed by a large-scale prospective cohort study

*On the Origin of Species*

Ed Yong: Świerszcze-samobójcy, karaluchy zombie i inne pasożytnicze historie

Świerszcze-samobójcy, karaluchy zombie i inne pasożytnicze historie

My ludzie kładziemy ogromny nacisk na wolną wolę i niezależność... a jednak istnieje pewna podejrzana siła sprawcza, z której nawet możemy nie zdawać sobie sprawy. Pisarz naukowy Ed Young w swojej fascynującej, zabawnej i zarazem zatrważającej prelekcji opowiada, jak perfekcyjnie pasożyty opanowały sztukę manipulacji. Czy mają wpływ również na nas? Jest to bardziej niż prawdopodobne.

Animals often act under the hidden control of parasites that hijack their bodies and minds for the parasite's own benefit. From tapeworms making shrimp gather in bright, flamingo-attracting swarms to wasps turning caterpillars into zombie bodyguards, manipulation is common in nature. Some parasites even alter the behavior of mammals, with one in three people estimated to carry a brain parasite called Toxoplasma. These invisible forces challenge our ideas about free will and the true drivers of behavior in the natural world.