[-Kaine-]

http://news.national...science-brazil/

If that thing evolves to attach itself to other living things we're screwed.. D:

This post has been edited by -Kaine-: 05 March 2011 - 03:08 PM

[renzuko]

pretty sure this isnt new...parasect is based on that kinda shit

[Deo2]

This was mentioned in Resident Evil 4 in one of the researcher documents. I didn't play it myself, just watched a youtuber skim the article. I still prefer the viral outbreak zombies, myself.

According to BogLeech (comic artist - parasite enthusiast) the Parasect is a cicaeda infected by a parasitic pair of fungi.

[Keylime]

There is actually a multitude of parasites out there that manipulate their hosts bodies or behaviors to better suit the parasite. In some cases the parasite may make the host suicide if is beneficial to the parasite.

[-Kaine-]

Well good thing these cannot affect humans..

[treelo]

That hardly makes you any safer.

[Keylime]

-Kaine-, on 06 March 2011 - 07:06 PM, said:

Well good thing these cannot affect humans..

Actually there are several that do affect human psychology, but not to such an extreme extent.

[renzuko]

mhmm, they instead make you do lots of cocaine, say you have tiger blood, and live with hookers....

[Rhayve]

Whether the parasites control you or make you commit suicide is not really an issue - there are plenty of parasites that can cause illnesses, feed on your body or just outright kill you eventually, anyway.

[Keylime]

Rhayve, on 07 March 2011 - 08:01 AM, said:

Whether the parasites control you or make you commit suicide is not really an issue - there are plenty of parasites that can cause illnesses, feed on your body or just outright kill you eventually, anyway.

You misunderstood me. The specific parasite I had in mind at the time, Toxoplasma Gondii does not control you like a puppeteer handles a marionette. But it does alter your behaviors in a slight manner. In rats, it does affect their psychology to the extend of being borderline suicidal.

[pathwriter]

Look up what a liver fluke is.

[Keylime]

pathwriter, on 07 March 2011 - 04:17 PM, said:

Look up what a liver fluke is.

Not sure which fluke you mean since wikipedia turns up a lot for 'liver fluke'. I'm going to take a guess and assume you mean the Lancet Liver Fluke, or Dicrocoelium Dendriticum. Yes, I'm aware of their interesting life cycle.

[pathwriter]

The latter:

http://theoatmeal.co...captain_higgins

[Keylime]

That is by far, the best graphic description of a parasite's life cycle. Ever.