This is your brain on parasites

how tiny creatures manipulate our behavior and shape society

268 pages

English language

Published Dec. 6, 2016

ISBN:
978-0-544-19222-5
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OCLC Number:
941714642

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4 stars (5 reviews)

"Based on a wildly popular Atlantic article: an astonishing investigation into the world of microbes, and the myriad ways they control how other creatures -- including humans -- act, feel, and think As we are now discovering, parasites -- microbes that cannot thrive and reproduce without another organism as a host -- are shockingly sophisticated and extraordinarily powerful. In fact, a plethora of parasites affect our behavior in ways we have barely begun to understand. In this mind-bending book, McAuliffe reveals the eons-old war between parasites and other creatures that is playing out in our very own bodies. And more surprising still, she uncovers the decisive role that parasites may have played in the rise and demise of entire civilizations. Our obsession with cleanliness and our experience of disgust are both evolutionary tools for avoiding infection, but they evolved differently for different populations. Political, social, and religious differences among societies …

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Subjects

  • Parasitology
  • Nervous system
  • Diseases
  • Microbiology