PARASITES

Vikings’ Parasites May Have Led to Lung Problems in Their Modern Descendants

Scientists say parasitic worms in the guts of Vikings may have made their modern descendants more vulnerable to lung issues.

10 Juicy Facts About Leeches

Sure, some latch on to your ankles and drink your blood, but leeches are just misunderstood parasitic worms.

Scott Bauer, USDA via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Ticks' DNA Data May Someday Help Us Control Them

For such a small animal, the deer tick has a genome that was surprisingly hard to unravel.

Many American Deer Have Malaria Parasites

Up to 25 percent of white-tailed deer living in Virginia and West Virginia sites were infected.

Scientists Decode Bedbug Genome, and It Explains Why They’re So Hard to Kill

Pesticide resistance, efficient food processing, and self-defense are built right into the pest’s genes.

Lyme Disease-Spreading Ticks Now in Almost Half of U.S. Counties

It's been nearly 20 years since the last study on the distribution of disease-carrying ticks.

Scientists Suggest Checking Your Chickens for Fleas

A study of backyard chickens in California found infection with fleas, mites, and lice was common among cage-free birds.

11 Diseases and Pests That are Catastrophic to Plants

These plant diseases and crop-killing critters cause many millions of dollars in damage, and mean very hard work for those that're trying to stop them.

Roman latrines in modern-day Libya. Image Credit: Craig Taylor

Ancient Roman Sanitation Efforts May Have Made Things More Gross

A researcher says the Romans’ dedication to cleanliness may have inadvertently created fertile conditions for parasites.

Jaroslav Vogeltanz, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Fleas Need Fresh Air

Burrows with high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) can become death traps for the insects.

People Are Infecting Themselves With Parasitic Worms as a Medical Treatment

Some researchers believe that infection with parasitic worms can stimulate the immune system and reduce inflammation. Others are not so sure.

Tapeworm Infects Man, Gives Him Cancer

A Columbian man died when the parasite’s cancer spread into his body.

Caterpillars Get Infection-Fighting Genes From Parasitic Wasps

The next butterfly you see flitting about might just be a genetically modified organism, given genes from a virus that protects it from other viruses. This isn’t the work of scientists trying to save pollinators, but parasitic wasps intent on rendering th

Even Deadbeat Bird Parents Keep an Eye on Their Kids

The brown-headed cowbird is never going to win any parenting awards.

TristramBrelstaff, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Fungus Kills its Victims and Makes Them More Attractive

Nobel Prize Awarded for Drugs that Fight Parasitic Diseases

The scientists developed drugs to successfully treat parasitic diseases infecting millions worldwide.

A Parasite in Bishop’s Clothing: Some Cuckoos Mimic Innocent Birds to Sneak into Nests

Alberto Salguero, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY SA 4.0

How a Lying Plant Steals from a Thieving Fly

The smearwort (Aristolochia rotunda) dupes fruit flies into entering its flowers and then traps them there, getting pollinated without offering any reward.

Flowers are Pharmacies for Sick Bees

7 Infested Facts About Bed Bugs

“Cuckoo” Butterflies Get Ants to Raise their Kids

There aren’t many things more beautiful than a butterfly—or many things creepier than parasites. It’s hard to think that you’d ever find one of the former that’s also one of the latter, but nature is full of surprises.

Cuckoos Hide From Each Other with Camouflaged Eggs

Mosquitoes Get Bug Bites, Too

Galapagos Birds Beat Bloodsuckers with Pesticide-Lined Homes

In the 1990s, the fly Philornis downsi was accidentally introduced to the Galapagos Islands, probably in a shipment of fruit. The adult flies are harmless enough as invaders go, but their kids are a real problem for the islands’ native birds, some of whic

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