A Game of Thrones: Butterfly Larvae Pretends To Be Queen Ant To Survive

The Maculinea butterfly larvae are parasites of red ants. It is brought into the nest by the ants thinking it is one of its own. Once in, the caterpillar is fed and protected by these red ants.

The Maculinea caterpillar was found to mimic acoustic signals emitted by the queen ant to fool worker ants into being adopted, protected, and cared for by the ant colony.

A group of researchers from the University of Turin in Italy released a paper on this behavior in the open access journal PLOS ONE.

Research Into How Common Cat Parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, Enters The Human Brain

Researchers have discovered how the common cat parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, enters the human brain and affect the hosts behavior.

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most prevalent parasitic infections in the world. It is estimated that thirty to fifty percent of the world's population is infected.

In the US, it is estimated that sixty million have toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. It is passed on through humans mostly through cats but can also be transmitted through raw uncooked meat and vegetables harboring the parasite or through contaminated water.

Few manifest symptoms of Toxoplasmosis because of the immune system that keeps it at bay. People with weak or compromised immune systems as well as pregnant women are at risk of acquiring it. In the case of pregnant women, they can also infect their unborn child with the parasite.