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.