harikari.com

According to researchers at the University of Hong Kong, there is a species of barnacle (Rhizocephalan Sacculina) of which the female will invade the body of male and female crustaceans (crabs in particular) in order to distribute their nutrient absorbing, branching root structure, mature and protrude a reproductive organ, mate with a passing male barnacle, and lay their eggs inside the host.

What’s special about this parasite is that they will first make the crab infertile, make them lose interest in mating, and, most interestingly, change the physiology and psychology of the male crabs in order to make them better mothers to the parasite’s egg sacks.

“The life cycle begins with the female cyprid invading the crabs and then developing into a parasite with an internal root system (interna). Once the interna matures, it will develop a reproductive body outside the crabs through the abdominal part called the virgin externa. Male cyprids will then enter the virgin externa, which give rise to a fertilized externa with the eggs brooding inside it. Larvae will then be released via the externa once the eggs became mature.”

Once the eggs emerge from the crab’s abdomen, it will nurture them to maturity the same way it would it’s own brood.

This one comes in from our friend Mike who is now in Iraq. 

It’s called a connex. It’s really a cross between a shipping container and a single wide trailer. It’s cut into three “rooms”. Mine is on the end, room C, pad 1, Camp Liberty Iraq.

It’s about 12 feet by 12 feet, or about four meters. The military has made the switch to metric measures along with everyone else in the world. I have it to myself—a luxury. Most of the soldiers share them with one, sometimes two, other soldiers.

I’m definitely trailer trash. I’ve got the cheap wood paneling to prove it. I’ve got a night stand, a bare light bulb on the ceiling and a metal bureau or closet.

On my first day I wiped the vinyl tile floor with a few napkins I had in my pocket sprinkled with some bottled water.

I set up my equipment, including an excruciatingly slow internet dish, and started work. Not long after I got into emails and notes to myself I saw it. It was small for a mosquito and flew right between me and the computer screen.

Those who know me understand how I feel about mosquitoes. God lost his rep when I found out about mosquitoes. Perfect my ass. What good are these malicious blood sucking parasites that carry even nastier—sometimes deadly—smaller parasites.

I have a diabolical and obsessive hatred of mosquitoes.

This one was an Iraqi mosquito. This guy’s ancestors could have sucked the blood of Hammurabi the King of Babylon. They probably stuck it the Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar or even the greatest of all modern rulers Cyrus the King Persia. Who knows how many Roman soldiers it took to get his blood line to me. This mosquito has been around. I could not underestimate an enemy who had several thousand years more evolutionary adaptation that those primitive nasties in Seattle. Heck this guy’s ancestors could have even nailed Adam or Eve. Why not? They shacked up just down river from here.

I decided to play it cool. Then the little guy flew right in front of me again. BAM!, I clapped with such speed I even surprised myself. There’s no way that itty bitty survived. Even if I didn’t crush him the concussion alone must have caused mortal injuries. Mission Accomplished—I slept well.

The next morning I threw on some clothes and ran through the mud to the latrine. I got there just in time. I’ve since learned what empty water bottles are for. It can be too long of a fast walk to the privy.

I went to the sink at the latrine trailer to wash my hands and looked into the mirror. There was a small welt over my right eye. The sneaky little devil got me. Damn, he’s good.

That day I saw him again and BAM!, got him right between my hands. At least I thought I did. The next day I was in a Colonel’s office and casually ran my hand over my eyebrow. There were two welts. Not just little mosquito bumps but big zits.

Within a few days I looked like someone had taken an ice pick to my face. I looked like an old guy just before the big date at the Junior Prom—a middle aged case of a nasty acne–without the hormones.

Each night it’s the same. I think I get ‘em but I don’t. I thought all mosquitoes were suicide suckers. They stick it to you and die. If so I don’t know where all these Iraqi mosquitoes come from.

I’ve retreated into my sleeping bag but now they get my left hand—the one I use to hold the bag closed.

The way I see it I only have three choices:

I spend more time and money finding and killing these things. (I’m thinking about going to the PX and buying a fly swatter).

Two–I can nuke the room with a bug bomb which, knowing the Middle East’s understanding of chemicals, will probably give me a brain tumor.

Finally—I can just get the hell out of here.

I think I’m going to take door number three.

I found an article on Digg this morning about this parasitoid wasp. This subject fascinates me. The page they linked was inaccessible, but Wikipedia has a great article about it.

Ampulex compressa (Emerald Cockroach Wasp) delivers an initial sting to a thoracic ganglion of a cockroach to mildly paralyze the front legs of the insect. This facilitates the second sting at a carefully chosen spot in the cockroach’s head ganglia (brain), in the section that controls the escape reflex. As a result of this sting, the cockroach will now fail to produce normal escape responses.

The wasp, which is too small to carry the cockroach, then drives the victim to the wasp’s den, by pulling one of the cockroach’s antennae in a manner similar to a leash. Once they reach the den, the wasp lays an egg on the cockroach’s abdomen and proceeds to fill in the den’s entrance with pebbles, more to keep other predators out than to keep the cockroach in.

A fascinating parasitic fungus which also alters the behavior of its host is Cordyceps Lloydii. I couldn’t find a Wikipedia article about it, but there’s an amusing web page the purpose of which I can’t reckon.

This fungus has evolved the ability to control the minds of the ants it infects. The process begins when the ant unwittingly ingests a spore of Cordyceps Lloydii as its walking along the forest floor. The spore makes its way through the ants body, eventually reaching the brain. Once in the brain, the spore begins to control the behavior of the ant who suddenly finds himself searching for the stalk of tall plant and climbing skyward. Fully under the control of the fungus in his brain, the ant impulsively climbs to the highest leaf where he grasps the leaf with all of his strength, his claws hardening with an uncontrollable expenditure of energy. At this moment, Cordyceps Lloydii enjoys the fruits of its labor.

A grotesque mushroom sprouts from the fungal mush that was once the ant’s brain. Bursting from underneath the smooth surface of the ant’s head, the long stalk extends skyward. Now, taking advantage of the healthy breeze available at such high altitudes, the stalk releases its fresh spores into the wind. Having served its purpose by helping the spore to this favorable altitude, the ant dies, adorned with the freakish funerary ornaments of its murderer. Carried by the wind, the spores drift to the forest floor where they will infect more ants.

And in another case of a parasite taking control of an ant’s arm control nerve, Dicrocelium dendriticum starts life as an egg in the intestines of cows. Cow dung is fed upon by snails who become infected and serve as a breeding ground for the fluke, who then uses the snail’s slime as a handy slip and slide escape route. Then…

Ants happen upon the slime and consume it as a source of moisture thus taking the new flukes into their system. Once inside, the parasite shows an interesting tactic. By controlling nerve centers of the ant they are able to control its behaviour. When the sun sets and temperatures drop the ant is compelled to attach itself to a tall blade of grass by its mandibles. Here it waits to be ingested by some grazing animal. If the ant survives the night the sun prompts it to return to the colony and live its life normally, until the next night. Eventually the ant is eaten by some grazing animal.

And then there’s my current nemesis, Toxoplasmosa gondii.

In a series of experiments, [scientists] demonstrated that healthy rats will prudently avoid areas that have been doused with cat urine. In fact, when scientists test anti-anxiety drugs on rats, they use a whiff of cat urine to induce neurochemical panic. However, it turns out that Toxoplasma-ridden rats show no such reaction. In fact, some of the infected rats actually seek out the cat urine-marked areas again and again. The parasite alters the mind (and thus the behavior) of the rat for its own benefit.

By some estimates, almost half the human population of earth is infected with this parasite. Recent research shows that it also has an effect on human minds, making us stupid and slutty! So if you’re feeling 10 to 15 IQ points below your norm or find yourself sleeping with someone simply because they seem to enjoy your uninhibited manner, check to see if it’s not just the booze, then seek treatment. Medications to treat the infection include those used with most other protozoal infections, like pyrimethamine, sulfonamide drugs, folinic acid, clindamycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

Yes, Wikipedia sort of sucked me in for a few minutes this morning.