How parasites change their host's behavior

in #science9 years ago (edited)

 The biggest challenge in a parasite’s life is to move from one host  to another. Intriguingly, many parasites have evolved the ability to  manipulate the behavior of their hosts to improve their own survival --  sometimes even by direct brain control. Jaap de Roode details a few  parasites that can really mess with the mind. 

Hope you enjoyed and learnt something new! More coming soon.

Lesson by Jaap de Roode, animation by Andrew Foerster.