As you may be aware, I have a thing for parasites. So it was with great pleasure that I read through the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Biology, which is entirely dedicated to the ways in which parasites turn hosts into zombies. What’s particularly newsworthy is that scientists are finally getting down to the biochemistry that allows them to pull the marionette strings. I’ve written a piece for the New York Times on the state of “neuroparasitology,” which will appear in print in next Tuesday’s Science Times. But you can read it now online.
Originally published December 5, 2012. Copyright 2012 Carl Zimmer.