Bloodlines and Bloodsuckers: Tracing Human Migration and Colonization in the Americas Through Lice
Global genetic study of lice suggests they arrived twice in the New World on human hosts. A new analysis of lice genetic diversity suggests that…
Parasites News
Genetic Thieves: New Research Reveals How Parasites Hijack Host Behavior With Stolen DNA
A team led by Tappei Mishina at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) has discovered that parasites manipulate their hosts using stolen genes…
Extreme Genome Shrinkage: This Parasitic Plant Convinces Hosts To Grow Into Its Own Flesh
If you happen to come across plants of the Balanophoraceae family in a corner of a forest, you might easily mistake them for fungi growing…
Scientists Discover a Completely New Type of Enzyme That Helps Fight Genomic Parasites
Professor René Ketting’s team at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz, Germany, along with Dr. Sebastian Falk’s group at the Max Perutz Labs…
Scientists Discover 16 Strange New Species of of Parasitoid Wasp in Vietnam
A recent exploration in Vietnam for the elusive Loboscelidia, a type of parasitoid wasp, has expanded the global count of known species by 30% and…
Mechanisms of Mind Control: Brain-Altering Parasite Turns Ants Into Zombies at Dawn and Dusk
It takes over the brains of ants, causing them to cling to blades of grass against their will. The lancet liver fluke has an exceptional…
Surgeons Pull 3″ Parasitic Worm From Woman’s Brain – Still Alive and Wriggling
The world’s first human infection by a python-specific roundworm was discovered in an Australian woman. The case highlights the increasing threat of zoonotic diseases and…
Scientists Discover “Concerning” Flaw in Malaria Diagnostics
A new report suggests that current methods may significantly overestimate the multiplication rates of malaria parasites in a person’s bloodstream. This overestimation has crucial implications…
Scientists Discover Ancient Parasites in 200-Million-Year-Old Fossil Poop
Ancient predator was infected by nematodes and various other parasitic species. Evidence of ancient parasites that once infected an aquatic predator over 200 million years…
Bizarre “Mind Controlling” Parasitic Hairworms Are Missing Genes Found in Every Other Animal
Hairworms are missing the tiny “hairs” responsible for cell movement, filtration, and sensing that every other known animal has. In a world teeming with bizarre…
Scientists Discover a New Species of Parasitic Euglenids: Euglenaformis parasitica
Euglenids are recognized for their diverse nutritional methods, encompassing photosynthesis, bacterial predation, and in some cases, animal parasitism. Nonetheless, the records of parasitic euglenids are…
The Hidden Parasite Wreaking Havoc on Caribbean Sea Urchins
Scientists have identified the parasite Philaster apodigitiformis as the cause of the severe die-off of long-spined sea urchins across the Caribbean, leading to an 85%…
Murder Mystery in the Marine World: Unmasking the Sea Urchin Assassin
A microscopic scuticociliate parasite caused a mass die-off of long-spined sea urchins in the Caribbean in 2022, posing significant risks to coral reef health. Researchers…
New, Very Promising Drug Has the “Unique Ability To Prevent Malaria”
In the crowded streets of Korogwe, Tanzania, an expectant mother is navigating the throngs of people, waving her hand in an attempt to shoo away…
Sea Urchin Killer Identified: Scientists Unmask the Microscopic Menace Behind Massive Die-Off Event
The mass die-off of the long-spined sea urchin – a loss that threatens the health of coral reefs from the Caribbean to Florida’s east coast…
Malaria Advancement: New Drugs To Squash the Spread
Malaria is a devastating illness, with a staggering 247 million reported cases and 619,000 fatalities in 2021. This disease, caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum,…
Breakthrough Discovery Unlocks Mysteries Surrounding Parasite Immunity and Development
Ticks have the ability to detect a cytokine from infected mammalian blood, triggering a defense mechanism against bacteria that cause Lyme disease. A team of…
Bad News: Warming Oceans Have Decimated Marine Parasites
Over 100 years of preserved fish specimens provide a unique look at parasite population trends over time. A study from the University of Washington reveals…