6 ms·
Parasitic worms 'manipulate' mantises onto asphalt roads, say researchers
- kaliqt 2y agoCheckmate parasites. But seriously, I worry about this level of parasite infecting humans one day.
- someothherguyy 2y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior-altering_parasite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior-altering_parasite
- alexey-salmin 2y agoWell the Guinea worm does force humans to get into water to complete the parasitic cycle. But it's also on track to be fully eradicated. I think a parasite affecting human behavior in a substantial way is risking detection and elimination. So unlike with mantises this decreases the chance of survival, unless you paint a zombie-apocalypse kind of scenario. A successful human parasite has to alter the host behavior in a very subtle way. This could be happening even now and we wouldn't know. There's some evidence this is the case with toxoplasma increasing affection towards cats.
- dotancohen 2y agoStar Trek actually did an episode which addresses such a parasite. The episode was one of several episodes banned in a few places, I think for showing how the uninfected humans had to eradicate the infected humans violently.
- nilamo 2y agoStar Trek did a whole Wrath of Khan that addresses such a parasite :p
- rstuart4133 2y ago> Well the Guinea worm does force humans to get into water to complete the parasitic cycle. How they do this [0]: - Humans typically get infected when they unintentionally ingest copepods while drinking water. - During digestion the copepods die, releasing the D. medinensis larvae. The larvae exit the digestive tract by penetrating the stomach and intestine - About a year after the initial infection, the female migrates to the skin, forms an ulcer, and emerges. - Upon reaching its destination, the worm forms a fluid-filled blister under the skin.[5] Over 1–3 days, the blister grows larger, begins to cause severe burning pain - When the wound touches fresh water, the female spews a milky-white substance containing hundreds of thousands of larvae into the water. - The larvae are eaten by copepods, and after two to three weeks of development, they are infectious to humans again. [0] All of the above was copy & pasted from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracunculiasis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracunculiasis
- praptak 2y agoPart of the eradication effort was hacking this mechanism by convincing humans to use a closed container of water when this happens. The contaminated water can then be safely disposed thus breaking the cycle.
- ithkuil 2y agoHumans routinely have very weird behaviours and while often we classify them as illness who knows how many of those we just call "a political view".
- HKH2 2y agoSSRIs, birth pills and other 'harmless' drugs modify behaviour too.
- ithkuil 2y agoFwiw food and lack thereof modifies behaviour too.
- galleywest200 2y agoIf I fail to eat regularly for about 3 days I sink into a deep funk which takes a few days of regular eating to come out of. I used to/have a problem where I just don't have the energy to eat due to being hungry and its a viscious cycle.
- unfitted2545 2y agoThis idea has grown on me a lot after watching Sam Harris’ 2013 Ted Talk, on deconstructing religion, logic and morality: https://youtu.be/qn3ITqtGzQ8 https://youtu.be/qn3ITqtGzQ8
- zbyforgotp 2y agoOr maybe it could alter the behaviour in a positve way: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasites_Lost https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasites_Lost
- DonHopkins 2y ago>But it's also on track to be fully eradicated. Thanks to Jimmy Carter! (And also a guy named Donald Hopkins, who's not me.) https://www.cartercenter.org/about/experts/donald_hopkins.html https://www.cartercenter.org/about/experts/donald_hopkins.ht...
- TheAceOfHearts 2y agoAn STD that increased human promiscuity seems like it could be really successful at spreading. I wonder if any existing STDs have evolved to do anything close to this.
- devmor 2y agoThe social stigma around being seen as "dirty" for having an STI is known to drive the infected into more risky sexual behaviors and less hygienic partners. This is why normalizing testing and treatment as everyday things are part of the public health effort.
- phatskat 2y agoDoesn’t seem like it from the ones we know about, and I think that’s why we know about them. STI symptoms are typically unpleasant, painful, and when untreated potentially deadly. HSV for example is most contagious when a person is having an outbreak of sores, which certainly wouldn’t put most people in the mood.
- carlosjobim 2y agoThey do and are what people in the past would call "demons".
- ajuc 2y agoThe parasites you should be worried about are memes (in the biological meaning - an idea that forces host to reproduce and spread it - not "a funny image" meaning). We already have such ideas that change human behaviour on massive scale and cause millions of deaths.
- adgjlsfhk1 2y ago[flagged]
- classichasclass 2y agoRFK Jr. is the nominee for HHS secretary.
- rexpop 2y agoThe Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) directly oversees the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is one of HHS's operating divisions, with its Commissioner reporting to the HHS Secretary. QED, the guy who admitted to dietarily contracting brain worms in order to weasel out of alimony might also be chief over the FDA.
- linotype 2y agoAlso raw milk. Total nutjob.
- logicchains 2y agoAt least his physique is evidence that has a better practical understanding of health than 95% of Americans his age (and at the majority of Americans half his age, more than half of whom are overweight).
- DonHopkins 2y ago[flagged]
- lazyeye 2y agoJust dumb personal abuse.
- linotype 2y agoOr he has more time to work out because he’s rich. Or steroids. Could be a ton of reasons why he looks like a freak.
- nik282000 2y agoI've know about horsehair worms for years and noticed a load of mantises on the road this fall but never made the connection >_< I wonder how much this lowers the rate of infection in the long term.
- slaucon 2y agoIn a similar vein, I always found it interesting (although frightening) that rabies cause hydrophobia. The theory is that drinking water can wash away the virus from your saliva, inhibiting its ability to spread through bites. It makes sense that a virus passed through saliva would evolve like this, but I just find it particularly unsettling when a pathogen can effect higher-level behaviors like drinking water (or jumping into water for mantises).
- thaumasiotes 2y ago> I always found it interesting (although frightening) that rabies cause hydrophobia. Well, there are two potential senses of "hydrophobia". In its primary use, it means "rabies", and it's not really interesting that rabies would cause that. In rare cases, it could mean "fear of water", which rabies doesn't cause. Rabies causes pain when swallowing. The pain causes fear through conventional mechanisms.
- sebtron 2y agoI have not checked the sources, but according to Wikipedia [1]: Rabies has also occasionally been referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") throughout its history. It refers to a set of symptoms in the later stages of an infection in which the person has difficulty swallowing, shows panic when presented with liquids to drink, and cannot quench their thirst. Saliva production is greatly increased, and attempts to drink, or even the intention or suggestion of drinking, may cause excruciatingly painful spasms of the muscles in the throat and larynx. Since the infected individual cannot swallow saliva and water, the virus has a much higher chance of being transmitted, because it multiplies and accumulates in the salivary glands and is transmitted through biting. It seems more than just "pain when swallowing". [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies
- dotancohen 2y agoIt does seem like your comment for the most part supports the GP comment, other than the disagreement about the definition of pain. For what it's worth, I see the word pain as he used it to be a better fit than the word fear, as in phobia.
- leonim 2y agoIf you are interested in this subject, Carl Zimmer wrote a great book that has all sorts of examples of parasites that control their host: "Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures" https://www.amazon.com/Parasite-Rex-Bizarre-Dangerous-Creatures/dp/074320011X https://www.amazon.com/Parasite-Rex-Bizarre-Dangerous-Creatu...
- sampo 2y agoThe seminal work is the 1982 book "The Extended Phenotype" by Richard Dawkins.
- andsoitis 2y ago> infected mantises were attracted to sources with stronger horizontally polarized light. I wish the article provided and explanation for the mechanism.
- toenail 2y agoThey would probably have to guess, but start here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarization_(waves) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarization_(waves) > Many animals are capable of perceiving some of the components of the polarization of light, e.g., linear horizontally polarized light. This is generally used for navigational purposes, since the linear polarization of sky light is always perpendicular to the direction of the sun.
- andsoitis 2y agoI’m aware of that, thanks. What I meant is how does the worm change the mantis to have this perception when they previously didn’t.
- Ichthypresbyter 2y agoThey were already able to perceive polarized light [0], like many other arthropods, though AFAIK it's not clear what they normally use this perception for. [0]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317167346_Head_tracking_response_in_Polyspilota_griffinii_demonstrates_polarisation_vision_in_a_praying_mantis_for_the_first_time https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317167346_Head_trac...
- undersuit 2y agoYou can wear polarized sun glasses to help block the light reflected off of roads and water like when driving or boating. Seeking stronger horizontally polarized light would historically lead you to a water source. Adult horsehair worms complete their life cycle in water.
- tonis2 2y agoJust my fantasy scenario, imagine if some kind of yeast/virus affects humans to eat so much sugar, we never need so much sugar, but there's some-kind of yeast inside us that controls us, to create and consume sugar for it.
- rgrieselhuber 2y agoI’ve always assumed that this was sort of a known thing.
- marcosdumay 2y agoAFAIK, it's not anything close to "known". But it's an open possibility that is being actively researched and has some supporting evidence.
- rgrieselhuber 2y agoDepends on your epistemology, I guess.
- lambertsimnel 2y ago> imagine if some kind of yeast/virus affects humans to eat so much sugar I think the gut microbiome can indeed do this. The episode called "Swap Out Sugar" of the BBC podcast Just One Thing explains more - the relevant section is from after 7 minutes to before 12 minutes into the episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09by3yy/episodes/downloads?page=3 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09by3yy/episodes/downloads...
- devmor 2y agoAs far as I am aware this is a legitimate theory and angle of study around the guy microbiome, not just a fantasy.
- candidafighter2 2y ago[flagged]
- gruez 2y ago>Similarly Candida can drive people to crave sugar Source? I skimmed the wikipedia article and it doesn't mention this.
- candidafighter2 2y agoCraving sugar is a hallmark symptom of B1 deficiency. Source "Thiamine Deficiency Disease, Dysautonomia, and High Calorie Malnutrition" by Dr Derrick Lonsdale the world expert in b1 deficiency. B1 is only absorbed in the ileum (small intestine). The biofilm grown by the fungus (candida) is what covers the skin of the small intestine and it stops the ileum absorbing b1.
- zbyforgotp 2y agoI skeptical. Carbs are converted to glucose in the intestines and we eat orders of magnitude more glucose in carbs than in sweets so candida should not really care about sweets, but all these studies are about craving sweets not carbs in general.
- candidafighter2 2y agoYou don't know what you are talking about. Low FODMAP diet for example is advocated by John Hopkins Medicine institute , Yale, Cleveland clinic etc.
- nameless912 2y ago> this is what causes most peoples chronic fatigue [Citation needed] I've never heard of this, and I feel like it would be much bigger news if there was a conclusive link
- Biganon 2y agoLook at their username; sounds like a pet theory of theirs
- dataviz1000 2y ago> Sea turtle hatchlings have an inborn tendency to move in the brightest direction. On a natural beach, the brightest direction is most often the open view of the night sky over, and reflected by, the ocean. [0] Man made artificial lighting greatly affect sea turtle hatchlings also. There are several groups of volunteers who watch the eggs for hatching and will help the sea turtles make their way towards the sea. The volunteers use apps to coordinate watching the eggs and there is tons of data collected. Using AI / ML to help determine when the eggs will hatch or creating autonomous drones to watch the eggs and perhaps assist in corralling the hatchlings to the sea would make great PhD dissertation subjects. [0] https://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/sea-turtles/threats/artificial-lighting/ https://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/sea-turtles/threats/arti...
- Culonavirus 2y ago> Using AI ... Do people enjoy this crap being put into every fkin discussion on this site? Because I sure as hell have my tank full.
- The28thDuck 2y agoThis is an irate response to a perfectly fine comment. What about AI on HN is ruffling your feathers?
- rad_gruchalski 2y agoThat things do not require “AI”. An expert system will do just fine.
- Culonavirus 2y agoIt is an irate response. I guess when you read a 1000th "perfectly fine comment" it gets to you. I remember this site being full of interesting stuff, like really vibrant CS things, math for programmers, all kinds of new languages and frameworks and patterns and algorithms, but nowadays all of that diversity is eaten and shitted out as AI AI AI AI AI ... It's nauseating. I'm sorry I know this is a rant but damn, what the fuck happened :(
- TrackerFF 2y agoIIRC, there's some parasite that makes the host (some species of insects) climb up plants, as high as possible, so that it can be eaten by birds and other animals. So that the parasite can reproduce inside the new host, and spread further.
- doubleg72 2y agoYes, you recall correctly.
- dingnuts 2y agoYes, the game and TV show The Last of Us made cordyceps a fairly well known genus
- TeaBrain 2y agoCordyceps are also a major plot device in the novel Cold Storage, which is being developed into a film.
- griffzhowl 2y agoCordyceps is a bit different in that it makes the host insect clamp down on a branch or twig until death so that when the fruiting body grows out of the host, its spores are spread through the air, where it can infect similar insects. What OP is talking about sounds more like the lancet liver fluke, which has a stage of its lifecycle inside an ant and a stage inside a grazing animal, so it makes an infected ant climb to the top of a grass stalk. Amazingly, the ants only do this from dusk till dawn, resuming their normal activities if they haven't been eaten by dawn. The rationale seems to be that being exposed to the hot sun during the day could quickly kill the ant along with its passenger flukes
- gaoryrt 2y ago- Cordyceps has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine in the belief it can be used to treat diseases [0] I think every Chinese person has heard of it since they were kids. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps
- FrustratedMonky 2y agoLook at all the examples of manipulation in this thread. I have to wonder just how manipulated humans are everyday and we don't even realize it. It has become 'human nature'.