Parasites That Can Control Insect Minds

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2005-09-04 07:04am

Ant writes to tell us that NewScientist is running an article about an interesting parasite that apparently has the power to 'brainwash' its host.
From the article: "The parasitic Nematomorph hairworm (Spinochordodes tellinii) develops inside land-dwelling grasshoppers and crickets until the time comes for the worm to transform into an aquatic adult.
Somehow mature hairworms brainwash their hosts into behaving in way they never usually would - causing them to seek out and plunge into water.

obey me and link!
Well, I know what I want to breed in huge proportions and send out in droves

wautd · Post by **wautd** » 2005-09-04 07:15am

cheesus!

Post by **Broomstick** » 2005-09-04 07:45am

There's also a parasite that can take over crabs and change their behavior pretty drastically.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2005-09-04 08:07am

Yeah, there's also a parasite that lives in guppies, I think, some small fish, anyway, and makes them not react to life-threatening danger, especially herons. The herons eat the guppies and the parasite matures in herons and gets passed out in its feces.

There's also a microscopic parasite that often lives on cathair that lives in human brains and apparently makes us more likely to take risks.

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2005-09-04 08:48am

...the hell? Sure, I know these things existed, but that cathair risk-taking thing? Nooo.

Luzifer's right hand · Post by **Luzifer's right hand** » 2005-09-04 08:56am

There is a parasite called the Lancet Fluke in english(afaik)which changes the behaviors of ants. The parasite changes host snail>ant>mammal while it matures.
The ant climbs up plant stems and attach themselves with their mandibles to exposed positions such as leaves. Grazing mammals, such as sheep or cows, eat the plants together with the ant.

Are there not viruses like rabies which can also change to behavior of their hosts(including humans)?

Anarchist Bunny · Post by **Anarchist Bunny** » 2005-09-04 09:17am

Yeah, that Luis Sera file from Resident Evil 4 was a load of made up BS(the one on other examples of influential parasites).

Ofcourse this isn't really mind control, it just intiates a reaction that causes the insect to act in a way to help transfer hosts.

Anarchist Bunny · Post by **Anarchist Bunny** » 2005-09-04 09:19am

Yeah, that Luis Sera file from Resident Evil 4 wasn't a load of made up BS(the one on other examples of influential parasites).

Ofcourse this isn't really mind control, it just intiates a reaction that causes the insect to act in a way to help transfer hosts.

GHETTOEDIT: Can a mod take out the first post of mine.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2005-09-04 12:18pm

Shroom Man 777 wrote:...the hell? Sure, I know these things existed, but that cathair risk-taking thing? Nooo.

Yeeeeeessss

Active Toxoplasmosis infections in otherwise healthy adults is linked to risk-taking activites, although not everyone who is a daredevil is infected. We're not talking about leading people to leap off tall buildings or play chicken with trains, just an elevated tolerance of risk. It's one of those things that requires a large sample to show up in the statistics, but the link is there.

Nephtys · Post by **Nephtys** » 2005-09-04 01:03pm

The voices of the mAnY In My mInD tell me that this ReSeArch must be DeStroyed! Joy to the ChoIr of the MaNy!

*starts smashing things with lead pipes*

I'm totally getting an System Shock 2 vibe from that.

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2005-09-04 01:28pm

*glowy eyes* Bow before your gods.

That's kinda cool. If freaky.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-09-04 01:57pm

I had a good page bookmarked on these unique parasites after I played RE4 and also was doing briefly about them in my course. They are remarkable and just another reason to show why our minds, what makes us, is physically manifest as the brain and not in the form of some soul or what have you.

If you could get these things to control humans, make them more subjective to commands, then you'd have a nice toy for making your own cult or army.

Noble Ire · Post by **Noble Ire** » 2005-09-04 02:10pm

If you could get these things to control humans, make them more subjective to commands, then you'd have a nice toy for making your own cult or army.

KHANNNNNNN!!!1!!!

I'm suprised no one said that before this.

Lord Zentei · Post by **Lord Zentei** » 2005-09-04 02:16pm

Noble Ire wrote:
If you could get these things to control humans, make them more subjective to commands, then you'd have a nice toy for making your own cult or army.
KHANNNNNNN!!!1!!!

I'm suprised no one said that before this.

Well, since you covered that:

KNEEL BEFORE YOUR GOD!!! [/GlowyEyes]

Post by **LadyTevar** » 2005-09-04 04:48pm

I've seen a show on Discovery Channel (or was it Animal Planet?) where a type of worm infects a snail, causing its eyestalks to swell and pulse in shocking colors. The worm then prods the snail to go out into the open, where birds can see it, and the birds then either eat the snail whole or bite off the huge pulsing eyestalks. The worm then matures inside the bird, and if the snail survived the attack, it simply regrows the eyestalks.

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2005-09-04 05:13pm

Lord Zentei wrote:KNEEL BEFORE YOUR GOD!!! [/GlowyEyes]

*ahem*

Darth Yoshi wrote:*glowy eyes* Bow before your gods.

I wonder how they do that.

Lord Zentei · Post by **Lord Zentei** » 2005-09-04 05:25pm

Darth Yoshi wrote:
Lord Zentei wrote:KNEEL BEFORE YOUR GOD!!! [/GlowyEyes]
*ahem*
Darth Yoshi wrote:*glowy eyes* Bow before your gods.
I wonder how they do that.

Ah, my bad. Missed you there.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2005-09-04 07:39pm

Darth Yoshi wrote:
Lord Zentei wrote:KNEEL BEFORE YOUR GOD!!! [/GlowyEyes]
*ahem*
Darth Yoshi wrote:*glowy eyes* Bow before your gods.
I wonder how they do that.

Well, though it's offtopic, they could do that by bioluminescence, the only trouble is, as a thread I made ages ago asked, why don't they blind the host?

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2005-09-04 08:10pm

Cool. I was actually wondering about how parasites can make a creature act in a non-self-preservative manner, but the glowy eyes works too.

Dennis Toy · Post by **Dennis Toy** » 2005-09-04 09:03pm

"WE Seek peace-ful co-existance" ( A cookie for anyone who gets the reference )

I perfer headcrabs myself. I never thought parasites that controlled the brains of insects existed. I knew of insects who grew inside other incests and bursted out when matured.
( This is where Ridley scott claimed the idea for Alien came from )

Lord of the Abyss · Post by **Lord of the Abyss** » 2005-09-04 09:28pm

Rye wrote:
Darth Yoshi wrote:
Lord Zentei wrote:KNEEL BEFORE YOUR GOD!!! [/GlowyEyes]
*ahem*
Darth Yoshi wrote:*glowy eyes* Bow before your gods.
I wonder how they do that.
Well, though it's offtopic, they could do that by bioluminescence, the only trouble is, as a thread I made ages ago asked, why don't they blind the host?

Isn't it just the irises and whites that glow ? As long as the pupil is dark, they should be able to see.

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2005-09-04 10:55pm

Dennis Toy wrote:"WE Seek peace-ful co-existance" ( A cookie for anyone who gets the reference )

That's too easy: TNG Season 1, "Conspiracy".

darthdavid · Post by **darthdavid** » 2005-09-04 11:11pm

Nephtys wrote:The voices of the mAnY In My mInD tell me that this ReSeArch must be DeStroyed! Joy to the ChoIr of the MaNy!

*starts smashing things with lead pipes*

I'm totally getting an System Shock 2 vibe from that.

I only played that game to the part where your in the lab in the second part of the ship and the monkies start trying to kill you and reminding me of it still gives me shivers.

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2005-09-04 11:53pm

One word: Rabies.

Lord Revan · Post by **Lord Revan** » 2005-09-05 01:16am

Of course before we all "paranoid" here we remember that insect minds are really simple and controlling a more complex creature (like humans) is a lot more difficult.