Alien invasion.Truth is sometimes stranger than science fiction. One example: French scientists discovered that a tiny worm can brainwash brain·wash tr.v. brain·washed, brain·wash·ing, brain·wash·es To subject to brainwashing. n. The process or an instance of brainwashing. a cricket into taking a deadly swim. The hairworm hairworm, worm of the phylum Nematomorpha. , or Spinochordodes tellinii The nematomorph hairworm Spinochordodes tellinii is a parasitic worm whose larvae develop in Orthopteran insects. This parasite is unique in being able to influence its host's nervous system in a manner comparable to mind control. (SPIN-no-cor-DOH-dis TELL-ee-nee), is a parasite that depends on insects for its survival. As a larva larva, in zoology larva, independent, immature animal that undergoes a profound change, or metamorphosis, to assume the typical adult form. Larvae occur in almost all of the animal phyla; because most are tiny or microscopic, they are rarely seen. , the developing worm lodges itself inside a cricket and feasts on the insect's innards. The squirmy parasite eats its host carefully, keeping the cricket alive until the worm reaches adulthood, explains Frederic Thomas, a biologist at the French National Center for Scientific Research. But when the parasite is mature and ready to mate, it needs to relocate to a freshwater home. So the worm injects a chemical into the cricket's brain, causing the insect to behave bizarrely: The normally land-dwelling cricket searches for water, plunges in, and drowns. Then, the worm crawls out of its host's body and swims away to find a mate. |
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