Could this be the reason why Congress is so dysfunctional?
1/3 of Humanity May Host a Mind-Altering Parasite
Posted by Ross Pomeroy at Thu, 02 May 2013 01:53:14
RealClearScience Newton Blog
In the opening scenes of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, two Starfleet officers find themselves in quite a perilous situation. Captured by a group of renegades bent on revenge against Captain James T. Kirk, the duo is forced to host slimy, grotesque parasitic worms that crawl into their ears and roost in their brains. There, the parasites exert control over the two officers, bending their minds to the will of the renegades.
To the best of our knowledge, insidious parasites like these only exist in science fiction. However, there is an organism on Earth -- a single-celled protozoan to be specific -- that bears a striking resemblance. And alarmingly, it may infest as much as a third of humanity (including 45% of the French)!
That parasite is Toxoplasma gondii. Commonly found in domestic cats, it sexually reproduces only within feline intestines. Humans can contract the parasite by ingesting anything contaminated with cat feces. Once infected, individuals may succumb to mild, flu-like symptoms for a couple weeks, but little more. Often no symptoms manifest at all. The parasite's apparent harmless nature cloaks its presence. Soon after finding its way into a human host, it weasels its way into the brain. There, "sheltered from the full fury of the immune system," it can remain in what's called a tissue cyst for decades, not reproducing, just persisting. But in this form, researchers are finding that it can produce some subtle and startling changes in the host's behavior.
(Continued here.)
Posted by Ross Pomeroy at Thu, 02 May 2013 01:53:14
RealClearScience Newton Blog
In the opening scenes of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, two Starfleet officers find themselves in quite a perilous situation. Captured by a group of renegades bent on revenge against Captain James T. Kirk, the duo is forced to host slimy, grotesque parasitic worms that crawl into their ears and roost in their brains. There, the parasites exert control over the two officers, bending their minds to the will of the renegades.
To the best of our knowledge, insidious parasites like these only exist in science fiction. However, there is an organism on Earth -- a single-celled protozoan to be specific -- that bears a striking resemblance. And alarmingly, it may infest as much as a third of humanity (including 45% of the French)!
That parasite is Toxoplasma gondii. Commonly found in domestic cats, it sexually reproduces only within feline intestines. Humans can contract the parasite by ingesting anything contaminated with cat feces. Once infected, individuals may succumb to mild, flu-like symptoms for a couple weeks, but little more. Often no symptoms manifest at all. The parasite's apparent harmless nature cloaks its presence. Soon after finding its way into a human host, it weasels its way into the brain. There, "sheltered from the full fury of the immune system," it can remain in what's called a tissue cyst for decades, not reproducing, just persisting. But in this form, researchers are finding that it can produce some subtle and startling changes in the host's behavior.
(Continued here.)
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