From the Bookshelf of Science and Inquiry…

This Is Your Brain on Parasites: How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior and Shape Society

Kathleen McAuliffe

Start date: December 1, 2020

Finish date: December 31, 2020

Discussion: Book Club 2020

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Book Club 2020

November 2020 - Disordered Mind
By Betsy , co-mod · 34 posts · 109 views

last updated Jan 17, 2021 09:14AM

December 2020 - This is Your Brain on Parasites
By Betsy , co-mod · 10 posts · 69 views

last updated Dec 13, 2020 02:51AM

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Dec 11, 2020 David Rubenstein rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biology, medicine, environment, psychology, evolution

This fascinating book describes how parasites may change our reasoning, behavioral patterns, social behaviors, and even our politics. These parsites range from single-celled organisms to larger ones like worms. The book shows a multitude of ways that harmful microbes can change insect behavior, sometimes resulting in infecting humans and causing severe illness.

There is an amazing anecdote about a French biologist who tried desperately to get enough grant money to travel, at great expense, to New This fascinating book describes how parasites may change our reasoning, behavioral patterns, social behaviors, and even our politics. These parsites range from single-celled organisms to larger ones like worms. The book shows a multitude of ways that harmful microbes can change insect behavior, sometimes resulting in infecting humans and causing severe illness.

There is an amazing anecdote about a French biologist who tried desperately to get enough grant money to travel, at great expense, to New Zealand. He went there to find a parasite work that drives crickets to jump into water (they can't swim). He went there and came up almost empty handed. Then he found out that about 80 miles from where he lived, hundreds of crickets every night were driven into a swimming pool by that same parasite!

It is amazing how a certain wasp injects venom into a roach and pacifies it. Then the wasp walks the roach to its burrow, like a dog! The roach is much bigger than the wasp, and the wasp doesn't have to waste energy dragging it.

A cat parasite named T. gondii can also infect people. People can catch it by contact with cats, cat litter, unwashed vegetables, gardening, and undercooked meat. It infects the brain, and can cause subtle behavioral changes. It may even trigger schizophrenia in some genetically-sensitive people. Infected people are more prone to traffic and industrial accidents. In rats, the microbe induces "fatal feline attraction." Anti-psychotic medication given to rats can prevent this condition!

People given flu vaccinations may become more social. This may be true for other virus infections, as well. This does not bode well for Covid-19 infections, for which, before symptoms arise, may draw people to become more social and spread the virus further.

Experiments with young mice in a sterile environment suggest that microbiota in the gut shape the wiring of the brain, and strongly suggest an influence on personality. Bacteria in the gut seem to do this by stimulating the vagus nerve, which connects the digestive system and the brain. There is evidence that probiotics--fermented foods--can be helpful in many ways.

In a chapter called "The Forgotten Emotion", there is a fascinating discussion about disgust. It is so interesting to learn the reasons why we are disgusted by certain things. Why are earthworms, rats, cockroaches, acne, and even seaweed are considered disgusting. Why is vomiting contagious? Many of these disgusts are influenced by evolution. Our aversions to parasites and disgusting things translate into everyday behaviors, including bigotry and political views.

Ancient Mosaic Law "correctly identifies the main sources of infection as vermin, insects, corpses, bodily fluids, food (especially meat), sexual behaviors, sick people, and other contaminated people or things. It implies that the underlying source of infection is usually invisible and can be spread by the slightest physical contact. And it prescribes effective methods of disinfection, such as hand washing, bathing, sterilization by fire, boiling soap, and quarantining."

In the book's last chapter, there is an interesting hypothesis that explains a correlation between collectivism with levels of infectious diseases and parasites. This correlation exists on an international level, and also within the US on a regional level. This hypothesis explains regional levels of religiosity, intermarriage, political persuasions, and certain personality traits.

Obviously, the book's title is taken from the once-famous commercial against drug use. A man holds up an egg and says "This is your brain". Then he points to a frying pan and says "This is drugs." He cracks the egg into the hot frying pan and says "This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?"

This is a short book that shows a multitude of ways in which parasites can alter our thinking and our behavior. Some of these behaviors are actually helpful, while many are harmful. I enjoyed reading the book, as it gives a lot of insight into the reasons for some types of behaviors--and how to avoid the harmful behaviors. ...more

25 likes · Like · see review

Dec 10, 2019 Navi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, science, nonfiction, psychology, health

Parasites are like that invisible passenger. Adept at outwitting our immune systems, they sneak aboard our bodies and then the devilry begins. They cause rashes, lesions, aches, and pain. They eat us from the inside out; use us to incubate their young; sap our energy; blind, poison, maim, and sometimes kill us. But that’s not the full extent of their clout. Some parasites have another trick up their sleeves—an awesome hidden power that astounds and confounds even scientists who study them for a Parasites are like that invisible passenger. Adept at outwitting our immune systems, they sneak aboard our bodies and then the devilry begins. They cause rashes, lesions, aches, and pain. They eat us from the inside out; use us to incubate their young; sap our energy; blind, poison, maim, and sometimes kill us. But that’s not the full extent of their clout. Some parasites have another trick up their sleeves—an awesome hidden power that astounds and confounds even scientists who study them for a living. Simply stated, these parasites are masters of mind control. Whether as tiny as a virus or as big as a six-foot-long tapeworm, they have found all kinds of devious methods to manipulate the behavior of their hosts, and that includes, many researchers now strongly suspect, humans.

This was a fascinating exploration into the many ways parasites infiltrate the brain and change the way humans and other animals think, feel and act. Even though these organisms can be microscopic (not including long tapeworms!), their effects can change our personality and at time become deadly. The author poses an interesting question - how much of our personality and actions are a direct result of these parasites?

My favourite parts of the book deal with how parasites control animals and make living slaves out of them. For example, there is a trematode that starts out infecting ants but its long term goal is to reach a sheep's mouth. To make this giant leap, it invades the region of the ant's brain that controls movements. Each night, the ant is forced to walk away from its colony and made to climb to the top of a blade of grass. Here, the ant holds on until a sheep happens to be walking by and eats that specific piece of grass. The trematode makes the ants do this night after night until it finally ends up in the sheep's belly. Talk about playing the long game!

There is an interesting discussion about the effect that gut bacteria has on our propensity to gain or lose weight.

Behold two mice. One is pleasantly plump, the other skin and bones. Yet the thin mouse is by far the bigger eater of the two. It weighs less because, unlike its chubby counterpart, it has no microbes in its gut. Without these helpers to break down its food, most of it passes through its intestine undigested. Though the animal consumes 30 percent more food than the bigger mouse, it has 60 percent less fat.

In 2006, Gordon’s team made an important discovery: fat mice had a far larger proportion of one major division of gut bacteria and less of another, while thin animals displayed the reverse profile. Obese and thin humans, to Gordon’s fascination, showed the same pattern. Did that mean certain bacteria were making people fat? Or could it be that the excess calories consumed by fat people favored the growth of those strains?

To counteract the lack of gut bacteria in humans, there is a procedure involving fecal transport. Something to look forward to in the future are feces pills we can take to repopulate the good bacteria in our stomach (hilariously called "crapsules" in the book).

All in all, I thought this was a very interesting book that is jam-packed with information. It will definitely make you think twice about whether you have complete autonomy over your life! ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Jun 06, 2024 CatReader rated it liked it

Shelves: cnet, cc, no-audiobook

I was fascinated by the first half of this book which examined parasite life cycles and behavior manipulation of their target organisms. Having had to study and memorize so many of these for various exams over the years, I really appreciate McAuliffe's engaging writing and photos included in the Ebook. I felt the second half of the book veered away from science and more into sociology, as McAuliffe drew heavily from researchers who've explored the links between levels of disgust in various human ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jun 16, 2016 Charlene rated it liked it

Shelves: biology

Extremely broad approach to parasites.

This author examines viruses and genes as parasites, as well as tiny creatures we easily identify as parasites. She looks at how all types of parasites might have contributed to building animal bodies and even the cultures in which we live. McAuliffe also provides some of the most up to date information on gut microbes and disgust research.

5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 08, 2016 Daphne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-audio, 2016

Totally fascinating book. This really is the current cutting edge of biological and evolutionary sciences. I feel so lucky to live in a time where we have wonderful minds figuring this stuff out and then sharing with us.

I wish daily we put more of our world's wealth into pure scientific inquiry. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review