3 ms·
The Scientists Fighting for Parasite Conservation
- chihuahua 4y agoMy favorite parasite story is in Episode 404 of the "This American Life" podcast, act 3. It's about a guy who has terrible allergies (to pollen) and fixes it by intentionally infecting himself with hookworms. It somehow calms down his immune system. For a while he sells hookworms to other people. Beautiful story. It's obviously better if you listen to it, but you can also find it in the transcript: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/404/transcript https://www.thisamericanlife.org/404/transcript - search for "act three"
- SemanticStrengh 4y agothere are many possible applications to this and hypothetical hidden endosymbionts. A related major topic is phage therapy. I also have read some people eat common stomach worms parasite as a smart way to loose weight. I don't know if they are toxic per se but if not (and evolutionnarily probably not) it would increase the lifespan and healthspan of obese people. However, the most crazy Idea I think about right now and off topic tbh, would be for scientists to reactivate behaviorally the vomeronasal organ on a human via e.g. epigenetics, which would allow a human to have altered qualias, including enhanced perception to air-transmitted neurotransmitters, also called pheromones. Although pheronomes do already works non negligibly in humans even without the vomeronasal, despite common belief. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnana.2017.00070/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnana.2017.0007...
- encephalos 4y agoThis is why I try my best not to miss any front-page threads. I wonder if the vomeronasal organ played a role in the whole covid / olfactory bulb system and role in the ano/parosmia.