Mind-Controlling Parasites Date Back Millions of Years

[woo me with science]

I just had to post this one because of the headline.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100817/sc_livescience/mindcontrollingparasitesdatebackmillionsofyears


Mind-Controlling Parasites Date Back Millions of Years
livescience.com – Tue Aug 17, 7:10 pm ET

Mind control by parasite sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but not only have scientists revealed that it is real across a range of animals - including perhaps humans - they now even have fossil evidence suggesting it has taken place for millions of years.

An unnerving variety of parasites have evolved the ability to control the brains of victims to help the parasites spread. For instance, the protozoan known as Toxoplasma gondii makes rats love cat urine so that it can spread among its feline hosts - and it may influence human culture as well, making people more prone to certain forms of neuroticism.

Another case of parasite mind control involves the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which essentially turns ants into zombies. It maneuvers the insects into biting down on the major veins of the undersides of leaves just before they die - the fungus then rapidly grows a stalk from their victims' heads, releasing spores to infect more ants.

.....

"We are now realizing that half of life on Earth is parasitic -- each free-living organism has at least one parasite," Hughes said. "But very few manipulate behaviors and there is a reason for that -- it is likely very costly. The fossil now challenges us to think of what past environments acted as selective forces for such cool tricks to evolve."
....

(more at link)

[dkf]

1. Eyuck.

[Vinca]

2. Well . . . that explains the teabaggers.

[Kolesar]

3. That explains Glen Beck!! ... eom

[woo me with science]

4. "The fungus then rapidly grows a stalk from their victims' heads..."

From the article:

"Another case of parasite mind control involves the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which essentially turns ants into zombies. It maneuvers the insects into biting down on the major veins of the undersides of leaves just before they die - the fungus then rapidly grows a stalk from their victims' heads, releasing spores to infect more ants."

Hmmm....

http://www3.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/2008+Republican+National+Convention+Day+3+7g76wl5Fj-gl.jpg

http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/2008+Republican+National+Convention+Day+3+FEUdBCVlAxpl.jpg

[Buns_of_Fire]

6. I was thinking "congresscritter," myself.

Granted, some parasites can be beneficial, I suppose. But they're still parasites.

[Bosso 63]

5. Fox news has been around for a million years?

[valerief]

7. In America, we call our parasites "the wealthy". nt

[glitch]

8. Or "the elite", I for one don't welcome our ancient corporate overlords.

Now we know where they got their business model. ;)

[lpbk2713]

9. I had no idea Limbaugh was that old.

[snooper2]

10. Well, at least we can explain why some people have a poo fetish

:rofl:

[ThomWV]

11. How do you feel about that source?

I read the article, and I thought, 'well, that's certainly interesting'. Then I went to the links at the bottom, the ones that go to other articles from that same orginization. And some of the stuff I found was just childish horseshit, stuff like UFO nonsense and BigFoot. So that made me question the article I had just read a good bit.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. livescience? Not any worse than your typical tabloid science site.

Did you see those messages? Whoo boy.