found this creepy item on another board

 

popular article

Mind-Controlling Wasps and Zombie Spiders

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=17

 

journal article

http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v29_n3/arac_29_03_354.pdf

 

"ABSTRACT. On the evening that it will kill its host, the orb-weaving spider Plesiometa argyra, the larva of the ichneumonid wasp Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga induces the spider to perform highly stereotyped construction behavior and build an otherwise unique ‘‘cocoon web’’ that is particularly welldesigned to support the wasp larva’s cocoon..."

Cool!

Ah, so the wasps got there first.... Homo sapiens seems to learned the same trick, but we call it subversion, indoctrination, regime destabilisation, etc. Weaken your prey before moving in for the kill. anything goes in the great evolutionary game. I'm rather surprised nature has not thrown up other examples.

This is not uncommon. For instance, some parasitic Nematomorphs that parasitize insects, induce a specific behaviour - they make their host move to water, where they drown, which enables the parantes to release eggs/larvae to the water environment.

Scientists have discovered parasites that colonize mamalian brains and can alter behavior in rats and mice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasma_gondii). Interestingly, Toxoplasma gondii has also been shown to inhabit humans.

I had totally forgotten about that... I remember reading it in an old Natural History rag. Really cool stuff. The wasp is like "We are the borg... you will be assimilated... resistance.. is futile."

I hear the X-Files themesong suddenly

Scientists have discovered parasites that colonize mamalian brains and can alter behavior in rats and mice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasma_gondii). Interestingly, Toxoplasma gondii has also been shown to inhabit humans.

Sweet George! I think I know what Dubya has!

 

Nah, that's Cheney. Easily confusable though.