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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Some researchers have suggested that Toxoplasma makes rats attracted to cats by increasing dopamine levels in the rat brain. Design an experiment to test this hypothesis.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Jaap de Roode
- Animation Artist Andrew Foerster
- Script Editor Eleanor Nelsen
- Narrator Addison Anderson