

Toxoplasma infection permanently shifts balance in cat-and-mouse game - zdean
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/09/18/toxoplasma-infection-permanently-shifts-balance-in-cat-and-mouse-game/

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ada1981
This. \-- “The idea that this parasite knows more about our brains than we do,
and has the ability to exert desired change in complicated rodent behavior, is
absolutely fascinating,” Ingram said. “Toxoplasma has done a phenomenal job of
figuring out mammalian brains in order to enhance its transmission through a
complicated life cycle.” \--

There is no conscious awareness here, if that isn't obvious. It's cool this
thing evolved to exploit behavior in this way, but it had no say in the
matter.

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zdean
I was really surprised to read that at the end of the article as well.

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jkbyc
Toxoplasma seems to affect human behaviour too:
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2526142/?tool](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2526142/?tool)
(incidentally, I was part of this research as one of the subjects)

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bencollier49
Did they tell you afterwards if you were one of the toxo-zombies??

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jkbyc
yes, they told everyone after the last test

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kawera
Related:

[http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2012/03/how-
your-c...](http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-
making-you-crazy/308873/)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3573694](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3573694)

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bencollier49
Perhaps a title change is in order. We know the mice became unafraid of cats,
just not that the change was permanent.

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adultSwim
There is a Radiolab that discusses Toxoplasmosis:
[http://www.radiolab.org/story/91689-parasites/](http://www.radiolab.org/story/91689-parasites/)

