An article on ABC speaks of a cat parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which apparently changes the behavior of humans on a mass scale. The theory by scientist Kevin Lafferty suggests that up to half the human population may have this parasite and it affects men and women differently. According to the article, “[the parasite] can change the personality of a rat so much that the rat surrenders itself to a cat, just as the parasite wanted.
“The parasite’s eggs are shed in a cat’s feces. A rat comes along, eats the feces, and becomes infected. The behavior of the rat undergoes a dramatic change, making the rat more adventuresome and more likely to hang out around cats.
“The cat eats the rat, and the parasite completes its life cycle. ”
In humans, the changes aren’t quite so drastic. Perhaps that’s because humans are bigger than cats and are not typically cat food. The parasite, the study purports, makes women “warm, outgoing and attentive to others” while infected men tend to be “less intelligent and a bit boring.” Infected children tend to become hyperactive.
Well, that pretty much sums up cat ladies, armchair quarterbacks and ritalin madness. Are we sure only 50% of the population is affected, or is this only what some Grandmaster Cat would lead us to believe?
Hmmmmmm indeed.
i haz control of ur brainz!
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