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How brain parasites change their host's behavior - Jaap de Roode

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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.

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Tsetse flies transmit the protozoan parasite that causes African sleeping sickness in humans. What type of host manipulation may you expect to see here?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Jaap de Roode
  • Animation Artist Andrew Foerster
  • Script Editor Eleanor Nelsen
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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