When a common parasite infects wolves, it changes their behavior and turns them into risk-taking animals that could help them become leaders of their pack—or get them killed. “We focus so much on ...

illustration of single-cell parasites floating through the bloodstream alongside blood cells The parasite Toxoplasma gondii hides in up to half of humans, although it rarely causes symptoms. But when ...

Parasitic hairworms manipulate the behavior of their hosts in what's sometimes called 'mind control.' A new study reveals another strange trait shared by different hairworm species: they're missing ...

An unassuming single-celled organism called Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most successful parasites on Earth, infecting an estimated 11 percent of Americans and perhaps half of all people worldwide.

The parasite that causes toxoplasmosis could play a bigger role in animal behavior than we thought, according to a first-of-its-kind study in Kenya. The research also shows that the generally nonfatal ...

When a parasite infects a host, it can manipulate host behavior, which may help spread the parasite to new hosts, or enable the parasite to complete its life cycle. Parasitic worms known as hairworms ...

The brain is like a medieval castle perched on a cliff, protected on all sides by high walls, making it nearly impenetrable. Its shield is the blood-brain barrier, a layer of tightly connected cells ...

For all the different kinds of manipulation in our cultural lexicon — from gaslighting to negging — nothing beats good old-fashioned mind control. Like your worst ex, one master of this power is a ...

A parasite known for its ability to influence the minds of its hosts also hijacks the immune system, a new study finds. In fact, the parasite uses cells that would normally help defeat it as transport ...

The natural world is always fascinating, with millions of unique species for us to explore and research. But now and again, nature presents us with something so strange that it is, frankly, bizarre.

Researchers have discovered a bizarre fungal parasite that turns cicadas into "sex zombies" to lure others and spread their infection. The pathogen prompts cicadas to act as though they are looking ...