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"Engrossing ... [An] expedition through the hidden and sometimes
horrifying microbial domain." -Wall Street Journal "Fascinating-and
full of the kind of factoids you can't wait to share." -Scientific
American Parasites can live only inside another animal and, as
Kathleen McAuliffe reveals, these tiny organisms have many
evolutionary motives for manipulating the behavior of their hosts.
With astonishing precision, parasites can coax rats to approach
cats, spiders to transform the patterns of their webs, and fish to
draw the attention of birds that then swoop down to feast on them.
We humans are hardly immune to their influence. Organisms we pick
up from our own pets are strongly suspected of changing our
personality traits and contributing to recklessness and
impulsivity-even suicide. Germs that cause colds and the flu may
alter our behavior even before symptoms become apparent. Parasites
influence our species on the cultural level, too. Drawing on a huge
body of research, McAuliffe argues that our dread of contamination
is an evolved defense against parasites. The horror and revulsion
we are programmed to feel when we come in contact with people who
appear diseased or dirty helped pave the way for civilization, but
may also be the basis for major divisions in societies that persist
to this day. This Is Your Brain on Parasites is both a journey into
cutting-edge science and a revelatory examination of what it means
to be human. "If you've ever doubted the power of microbes to shape
society and offer us a grander view of life, read on and find
yourself duly impressed." -Heather Havrilesky, Bookforum
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