illustration of single-cell parasites floating through the bloodstream alongside blood cells The parasite Toxoplasma gondii hides in up to half of humans, although it rarely causes symptoms. But when ...

A parasite called Toxoplasma gondii lurks inside 1 in 3 people worldwide, hiding out in the brain and other organs. Now, scientists have hijacked this microorganism to shuttle drugs into the brain — ...

Parasitic hairworms manipulate the behavior of their hosts in what's sometimes called 'mind control.' A new study reveals another strange trait shared by different hairworm species: they're missing ...

The brain is like a medieval castle perched on a cliff, protected on all sides by high walls, making it nearly impenetrable. Its shield is the blood-brain barrier, a layer of tightly connected cells ...

When a parasite infects a host, it can manipulate host behavior, which may help spread the parasite to new hosts, or enable the parasite to complete its life cycle. Parasitic worms known as hairworms ...

For all the different kinds of manipulation in our cultural lexicon — from gaslighting to negging — nothing beats good old-fashioned mind control. Like your worst ex, one master of this power is a ...

Hairworms are parasites with a killing strategy so extreme it looks like mind control. After developing inside an insect host, the worm triggers behavioral changes that drive the victim toward water.

Hank introduces us to some freaky parasites that use mind control to hijack the brains of their hosts.