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Parasite
Rex
Carl Zimmer
Almost every animal will at some time or other become the home of
a parasite. Not only are parasites the most sucessful life-forms on
Earth, they triggered the development of sex, shape, ecosystems, and
have driven the engine of evolution. Carl Zimmer describes the frightening
and amazing ingenuity these commando invaders use to devour their
hosts from the inside and control their behaviour. "Sacculina carcini"
makes its home in an unlucky crab and proceeds to eat everything but
what the crab needs to put food in its mouth, which "Sacculina" then
consumes. Single-celled "Toxoplama gondi" has an even more insidious
role, for it can invade the human brain and cause personality changes,
making its host less afraid and more prone to danger and a violent
end - so that, in the carnage, it will be able to move on to another
host. Finally, Zimmer concludes that humankind itself is a new kind
of parasite, one that preys on the entire earth. If we are to achieve
the sophistication of the parasites on display here in vivid detail,
if we are to promote the flourishing of life in all its diversity
as they do, we must learn the ways nature lives with itself, the laws
of "Parasite Rex".
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