I don't see anything in that article that makes the conclusion inevitable. It's a remarkable correlation for sure, but unfortunately it doesn't go beyond that. There's no pathway from infection to leadership (just a vague hypothesis that doesn't resemble the mechanism in rats and hyenas), and it doesn't look as if they looked at uninfected pack leaders. Perhaps pack leaders or strays eat more dead cat, or some other intermediate host of T.gondii. Perhaps they sampled in the wrong time frame. The full article might have more info, but the linked one doesn't.
Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
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Re: Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is the idea that anyone that wants to be a leader probably shouldn't be a leader. These are the types of people who crave being in positions of authority over others. They'll step on anyone they need to in order to get the the top. They might be the leader, but they usually aren't necessarily the types of people that are looking out for the best interests of the people they lead.
I was once part of a department that was so well-managed and functional that I couldn't quite believe it. Then when time came choose a new department head, someone told me that they had always specifically avoided people who wanted to lead the department for the job.
Good policy. In worker owned enterprises that are run democratically the owner/employees elect their managers from the ranks. They act as manager for a term and then go back to their original position after the next election. Keeps everyone based in reality.
Re: Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is the idea that anyone that wants to be a leader probably shouldn't be a leader. These are the types of people who crave being in positions of authority over others. They'll step on anyone they need to in order to get the the top. They might be the leader, but they usually aren't necessarily the types of people that are looking out for the best interests of the people they lead.
I was once part of a department that was so well-managed and functional that I couldn't quite believe it. Then when time came choose a new department head, someone told me that they had always specifically avoided people who wanted to lead the department for the job.
A perfect model for democracy I would say.
Re: Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
#14> Up to one-third of humans might be chronically infected.
That explains so much...
Re: Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
#15Imagine how dystopian that would sound in humans, like some science fiction horror. "All the leaders are secretly infected by parasites". Sounds like interesting sci fi movie premise.
With one third of humans infected it's more like the plot of an upcoming documentary..
> testosterone and dopamine production is increased
Or advertisement
Re: Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
#16Imagine how dystopian that would sound in humans, like some science fiction horror. "All the leaders are secretly infected by parasites". Sounds like interesting sci fi movie premise.
Well most of the leaders of the world today are psychopathic, so its not that far off.
Re: Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
#17Imagine how dystopian that would sound in humans, like some science fiction horror. "All the leaders are secretly infected by parasites". Sounds like interesting sci fi movie premise.
Culture can be seen as a symbiont for humans. Without infection, we are mere hunter-gatherers.
Re: Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
#18Imagine how dystopian that would sound in humans, like some science fiction horror. "All the leaders are secretly infected by parasites". Sounds like interesting sci fi movie premise.
literally an episode of Star Trek TNG, episode title Conspiracy, season 1 episode 24
Re: Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
#19I don't see anything in that article that makes the conclusion inevitable. It's a remarkable correlation for sure, but unfortunately it doesn't go beyond that. There's no pathway from infection to leadership (just a vague hypothesis that doesn't resemble the mechanism in rats and hyenas), and it doesn't look as if they looked at uninfected pack leaders. Perhaps pack leaders or strays eat more dead cat, or some other…
They looked at animals that were and were not infected, throughout their lives, and saw what they did, so they knew whether the animals were infected or not before they became pack leaders. From the article:
>The team looked at 256 blood samples from 229 wolves, which had been carefully watched throughout their lives, and had their life histories and social status recorded. Meyer and Cassidy found that infected wolves were 11 times more likely than uninfected ones to leave their birth family to start a new pack, and 46 times more likely to become pack leaders — often the only wolves in the pack that breed.
Re: Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
#20Syphillis makes you artistically brilliant, gondi makes you fearless, never felt so good, then just before exitus.
So, in conclusion, if the vector has requirements, the infection will try to make the host capable of fullfilment.
If the infection needs sugar, the mitochondria, will make the amobea crawl to algea.