Martin Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 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..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airmid Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 Cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcol Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romunov Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yggdrasil Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Peon Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 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." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzurePhoenix Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 I hear the X-Files themesong suddenly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romunov Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjruu Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Nah, that's Cheney. Easily confusable though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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