5 ms·

Sinister parasites that control their hosts' minds

82 points by option_greek 8y ago

jbigelow76 8y ago
I made it down to the Castrator Barnacle description and thought "you know what, that's enough of this article for today".
- ibdf 8y ago
  I stopped at the Emerald cockroach wasp. TMI. Great horror movie inspiration.
  - ratsimihah 8y ago
    I started having chills when reaching the end. RIP sleep.
- bllguo 8y ago
  it actually got better for me later on. The first half was horrifying. But at the emerald cockroach wasp and onwards I wasn't as repulsed, as cockroaches are disgusting, and the rest - toxoplasmosis, rabies, influenza - aren't easy to visualize.
  - ratsimihah 8y ago
    Yea the crab was ugly!
Pica_soO 8y ago
Very interesting article. Being taken over is the ultimate body horror. Several games have explored the concept so far- mostly by having "zombiefied" versions as opponents. It would be interesting to have this concept in a game where you as a AI hijack humans with apps, to act against there own interests.
- _agdistis 8y ago
  Not quite the same, but that game Plague Inc. has a "neurax worm" that does the whole taking over people's mind. It's pretty neat.
stevenwoo 8y ago
That was quite a panoply of different species and cross phylum? parasites. A couple of wasp parasites were mentioned - recently a paper was published speculating that there are more wasp species than any other because almost every insect they studied has a separate wasp parasite for both the adult form and juvenile form. It's just that some of them are so small they didn't know to look for them. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/parasitic-wasps-dominate-the-animal-kingdom/557348/ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/parasiti...
Alex3917 8y ago
Although Cordyceps is often portrayed as a thing that's only found in tropical rainforests or the highlands of Tibet, this isn't actually accurate. You can find it relatively easily in NYC parks. The ones here aren't medicinal though, nor do they make for super dramatic YouTube videos, so most people don't know they exist.
Isamu 8y ago
No obligatory mention of cellphones/Facebook?
hungerstrike 8y ago
I love to know about the world of bugs. They seem like little aliens to me. Imagine if humans had developed some of those cool exo-skeletons or wings. (And why didn't we?? I'm jealous!) Despite my fascination with them - I freak out if I ever find a bug on my person when I wasn't expecting it. I wonder if that's just a primal instinct?
- scardine 8y ago
  Check "Why bugs are not huge"[1]. [1] https://www.livescience.com/1776-bugs-huge.html https://www.livescience.com/1776-bugs-huge.html
lawlessone 8y ago
>They found that people given a flu vaccine interacted with significantly more people, and in significantly larger groups, in the 48 hours after being exposed, compared with the 48 hours before. The infected hosts were more likely to head out to bars and parties. That's amazing
- lliamander 8y ago
  I wonder if, as a control, they gave some people a placebo immunization (I couldn't tell from the abstract). I'm wondering if it is the exposure to the pathogen that is actually driving the behavior, or if it is the sense of security conveyed by having an immunization shot that really drives the sociability. I believe there's already some evidence in psychological research that the rates of infection disease in a society affects the degree of openness and trust towards outsiders/strangers. Low disease rates, perhaps combined with "purification rituals" reduce people's uneasiness around large groups.
  - cat199 8y ago
    also those voluntarily taking flu vaccine might be more trusting/sociable to begin with..
    - lliamander 8y ago
      I think the point was that they were noticing a change in sociability among those who were already taking the vaccine. Having a higher baseline level of sociability wouldn't be relevant.
  - nickpsecurity 8y ago
    "or if it is the sense of security conveyed by having an immunization shot that really drives the sociability." Yeah, not accounting for that hurt the article's credibility a bit for me. It's more obvious when you picture yourself as the person concerned enough to get a vaccine. Maybe enough go reduce contact a bit just before that as it's on your mind. Then, doc says you're safe and good to go. Ok, now that the risk is knocked out, lets go out and have some fun with the crowds. Easy to see a non-parasite explanation for it.
christefano 8y ago
Fascinating article. I was glad to see toxoplasmosis mentioned since when it comes to humans I think it’s relegated to being “a cat thing” and solely viewed as something only pregnant women need to worry about it. I read an article years ago about how there’s a high incidence of toxo in motorcyclists who ended up in the hospital ERs (and had blood tests detecting toxo), which suggests how in humans toxo correlates with reckless behavior and wanting to go fast. Relevant excerpts and links: “Between 30 and 60% of people are infected by T. gondii. But it's less clear that the parasite affects human behaviour. In 2006 Kevin Lafferty of the US Geological Survey in Santa Barbara, California found some evidence of personality changes in people infected by the parasite. So far this is only a correlation, which is far from conclusive. Nevertheless, Lafferty says: "my money is on cause and effect". http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3641 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3641 “Toxoplasmosis is also unusually common in people with schizophrenia, but again it's not clear what that means or how significant it is. ‘Schizophrenia is a complicated syndrome, perhaps with multiple causes,’ says Lafferty. He adds that there are plenty of infected people that don't have schizophrenia, and plenty of people with schizophrenia who aren't infected. ‘Still, I am comfortable in saying that Toxoplasma is a correlated risk factor for schizophrenia.’” http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/%E2%80%8Bjeb.073635 http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/%E2%80%8Bjeb.073635 Now what I didn’t know about and am utterly fascinated by is how influenza affects infected human hosts. Holy shit! Including here for those who skipped or just skimmed the article: “ … people given a flu vaccine interacted with significantly more people, and in significantly larger groups, in the 48 hours after being exposed, compared with the 48 hours before. The infected hosts were more likely to head out to bars and parties.“ http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.06.014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.06.014
ada1981 8y ago
I was expecting this to be a Harvard Business Review case study but it turned out it's about biology.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
cat199 8y ago
clear proof of evolution if I've ever seen it.
charlieflowers 8y ago
As a human, what kind of evidence would you look for to determine if you're under the influence of a parasite? Could eating disorders, anxiety, and other mental conditons sometimes be at least partly contributed to by parasites controlling the host?
- mabbo 8y ago
  Something like half the human population is infected with T gondii. Given how often my cat licks me, I know I must by now.
option_greek 8y ago
For those adventurous souls who finished this article, here is a bonus one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasitoid_wasp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasitoid_wasp PS: Make sure you are not eating anything before you go through this one :)
dicey_pv 8y ago
>They found that people given a flu vaccine interacted with significantly more people, and in significantly larger groups I have a personal hypothesis that the coughing and sneezing that come with the flu are also an adaptation of the virus. Getting people to cough and sneeze is a great way to spread an airborne disease.
lamarpye 8y ago
Another article about LeBron James and the Raptors?
ethn 8y ago
The article isn't true. It was once thought that cordyceps and other parasites control the mind of their hosts but something much more sinister happens; the invaders take control of the nervous system of the creature moving the limbs against the will of the host. Intuitively, minds are so idiosyncratic that it would be very difficult to generalize a behavior like this. Citation: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants-bodies-to-control-their-minds/545864/ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-...
Fjolsvith 8y ago
I had to laugh when loading the page. It had all these social media share buttons pop up big like and I first though it was a parody on those sites controlling their hosts' minds.

82 points by option_greek 8y ago

I made it down to the Castrator Barnacle description and thought "you know what, that's enough of this article for today".

ibdf 8y ago
I stopped at the Emerald cockroach wasp. TMI. Great horror movie inspiration.
- ratsimihah 8y ago
  I started having chills when reaching the end. RIP sleep.
bllguo 8y ago
it actually got better for me later on. The first half was horrifying. But at the emerald cockroach wasp and onwards I wasn't as repulsed, as cockroaches are disgusting, and the rest - toxoplasmosis, rabies, influenza - aren't easy to visualize.
- ratsimihah 8y ago
  Yea the crab was ugly!

Pica_soO 8y ago

Very interesting article. Being taken over is the ultimate body horror. Several games have explored the concept so far- mostly by having "zombiefied" versions as opponents. It would be interesting to have this concept in a game where you as a AI hijack humans with apps, to act against there own interests.

_agdistis 8y ago
Not quite the same, but that game Plague Inc. has a "neurax worm" that does the whole taking over people's mind. It's pretty neat.

stevenwoo 8y ago

That was quite a panoply of different species and cross phylum? parasites. A couple of wasp parasites were mentioned - recently a paper was published speculating that there are more wasp species than any other because almost every insect they studied has a separate wasp parasite for both the adult form and juvenile form. It's just that some of them are so small they didn't know to look for them. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/parasitic-wasps-dominate-the-animal-kingdom/557348/ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/parasiti...

Alex3917 8y ago

Although Cordyceps is often portrayed as a thing that's only found in tropical rainforests or the highlands of Tibet, this isn't actually accurate. You can find it relatively easily in NYC parks. The ones here aren't medicinal though, nor do they make for super dramatic YouTube videos, so most people don't know they exist.

Isamu 8y ago

No obligatory mention of cellphones/Facebook?

hungerstrike 8y ago

I love to know about the world of bugs. They seem like little aliens to me. Imagine if humans had developed some of those cool exo-skeletons or wings. (And why didn't we?? I'm jealous!) Despite my fascination with them - I freak out if I ever find a bug on my person when I wasn't expecting it. I wonder if that's just a primal instinct?

scardine 8y ago
Check "Why bugs are not huge"[1]. [1] https://www.livescience.com/1776-bugs-huge.html https://www.livescience.com/1776-bugs-huge.html

lawlessone 8y ago

>They found that people given a flu vaccine interacted with significantly more people, and in significantly larger groups, in the 48 hours after being exposed, compared with the 48 hours before. The infected hosts were more likely to head out to bars and parties. That's amazing

lliamander 8y ago
I wonder if, as a control, they gave some people a placebo immunization (I couldn't tell from the abstract). I'm wondering if it is the exposure to the pathogen that is actually driving the behavior, or if it is the sense of security conveyed by having an immunization shot that really drives the sociability. I believe there's already some evidence in psychological research that the rates of infection disease in a society affects the degree of openness and trust towards outsiders/strangers. Low disease rates, perhaps combined with "purification rituals" reduce people's uneasiness around large groups.
- cat199 8y ago
  also those voluntarily taking flu vaccine might be more trusting/sociable to begin with..
  - lliamander 8y ago
    I think the point was that they were noticing a change in sociability among those who were already taking the vaccine. Having a higher baseline level of sociability wouldn't be relevant.
- nickpsecurity 8y ago
  "or if it is the sense of security conveyed by having an immunization shot that really drives the sociability." Yeah, not accounting for that hurt the article's credibility a bit for me. It's more obvious when you picture yourself as the person concerned enough to get a vaccine. Maybe enough go reduce contact a bit just before that as it's on your mind. Then, doc says you're safe and good to go. Ok, now that the risk is knocked out, lets go out and have some fun with the crowds. Easy to see a non-parasite explanation for it.

christefano 8y ago

Fascinating article. I was glad to see toxoplasmosis mentioned since when it comes to humans I think it’s relegated to being “a cat thing” and solely viewed as something only pregnant women need to worry about it. I read an article years ago about how there’s a high incidence of toxo in motorcyclists who ended up in the hospital ERs (and had blood tests detecting toxo), which suggests how in humans toxo correlates with reckless behavior and wanting to go fast. Relevant excerpts and links: “Between 30 and 60% of people are infected by T. gondii. But it's less clear that the parasite affects human behaviour. In 2006 Kevin Lafferty of the US Geological Survey in Santa Barbara, California found some evidence of personality changes in people infected by the parasite. So far this is only a correlation, which is far from conclusive. Nevertheless, Lafferty says: "my money is on cause and effect". http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3641 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3641 “Toxoplasmosis is also unusually common in people with schizophrenia, but again it's not clear what that means or how significant it is. ‘Schizophrenia is a complicated syndrome, perhaps with multiple causes,’ says Lafferty. He adds that there are plenty of infected people that don't have schizophrenia, and plenty of people with schizophrenia who aren't infected. ‘Still, I am comfortable in saying that Toxoplasma is a correlated risk factor for schizophrenia.’” http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/%E2%80%8Bjeb.073635 http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/%E2%80%8Bjeb.073635 Now what I didn’t know about and am utterly fascinated by is how influenza affects infected human hosts. Holy shit! Including here for those who skipped or just skimmed the article: “ … people given a flu vaccine interacted with significantly more people, and in significantly larger groups, in the 48 hours after being exposed, compared with the 48 hours before. The infected hosts were more likely to head out to bars and parties.“ http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.06.014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.06.014

ada1981 8y ago

I was expecting this to be a Harvard Business Review case study but it turned out it's about biology.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

cat199 8y ago

clear proof of evolution if I've ever seen it.

charlieflowers 8y ago

As a human, what kind of evidence would you look for to determine if you're under the influence of a parasite? Could eating disorders, anxiety, and other mental conditons sometimes be at least partly contributed to by parasites controlling the host?

mabbo 8y ago
Something like half the human population is infected with T gondii. Given how often my cat licks me, I know I must by now.

option_greek 8y ago

For those adventurous souls who finished this article, here is a bonus one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasitoid_wasp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasitoid_wasp PS: Make sure you are not eating anything before you go through this one :)

dicey_pv 8y ago

>They found that people given a flu vaccine interacted with significantly more people, and in significantly larger groups I have a personal hypothesis that the coughing and sneezing that come with the flu are also an adaptation of the virus. Getting people to cough and sneeze is a great way to spread an airborne disease.

lamarpye 8y ago

Another article about LeBron James and the Raptors?

ethn 8y ago

The article isn't true. It was once thought that cordyceps and other parasites control the mind of their hosts but something much more sinister happens; the invaders take control of the nervous system of the creature moving the limbs against the will of the host. Intuitively, minds are so idiosyncratic that it would be very difficult to generalize a behavior like this. Citation: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants-bodies-to-control-their-minds/545864/ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-...

Fjolsvith 8y ago

I had to laugh when loading the page. It had all these social media share buttons pop up big like and I first though it was a parody on those sites controlling their hosts' minds.