Parasites of the Universe

Parasites of the Universe PDF

Author: Evelyn Moores

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2013-01-29

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 1479778400

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Parasites of the Universe explores what life might be like in a future with few resources, countless diseases, poisonous waters, and a deadly, infiltrating sun. The story is told through the life experience of a woman who is a member of one of the three diminutive tribes that gather in a small semi-inhabitable region. It presents binding and oppressive traditions and delicate interactions between peoples and a harsh environment.

Parasite Rex

Parasite Rex PDF

Author: Carl Zimmer

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2001-11-09

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 074320011X

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IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites control the minds of their hosts, sending them to their destruction. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites are masters of chemical warfare and camouflage, able to cloak themselves with their hosts' own molecules. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites steer the course of evolution, where the majority of species are parasites. WELCOME TO EARTH. For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and in the darkest shadows of science. Yet these creatures are among the world's most successful and sophisticated organisms. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer deftly balances the scientific and the disgusting as he takes readers on a fantastic voyage. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the fetid parasite haven of southern Sudan, Zimmer graphically brings to life how parasites can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead. This thorough, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe.

This Is Your Brain On Parasites

This Is Your Brain On Parasites PDF

Author: Kathleen McAuliffe

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2016-06-07

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 0544193229

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“Engrossing … [An] expedition through the hidden and sometimes horrifying microbial domain.” —Wall Street Journal “Fascinating—and full of the kind of factoids you can't wait to share.” —Scientific American Parasites can live only inside another animal and, as Kathleen McAuliffe reveals, these tiny organisms have many evolutionary motives for manipulating the behavior of their hosts. With astonishing precision, parasites can coax rats to approach cats, spiders to transform the patterns of their webs, and fish to draw the attention of birds that then swoop down to feast on them. We humans are hardly immune to their influence. Organisms we pick up from our own pets are strongly suspected of changing our personality traits and contributing to recklessness and impulsivity—even suicide. Germs that cause colds and the flu may alter our behavior even before symptoms become apparent. Parasites influence our species on the cultural level, too. Drawing on a huge body of research, McAuliffe argues that our dread of contamination is an evolved defense against parasites. The horror and revulsion we are programmed to feel when we come in contact with people who appear diseased or dirty helped pave the way for civilization, but may also be the basis for major divisions in societies that persist to this day. This Is Your Brain on Parasites is both a journey into cutting-edge science and a revelatory examination of what it means to be human. “If you’ve ever doubted the power of microbes to shape society and offer us a grander view of life, read on and find yourself duly impressed.” —Heather Havrilesky, Bookforum

The Mind Parasites

The Mind Parasites PDF

Author: Colin Wilson

Publisher: Monkfish Book Publishing

Published: 2013-05-15

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1939681081

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Wilson has blended H.P. Lovecraft's dark vision with his own revolutionary philosophy and unique narrative powers to produce a stunning, high-tension story of vaulting imagination. A professor makes a horrifying discovery while excavating a sinister archaeological site. For over 200 years, mind parasites have been lurking in the deepest layers of human consciousness, feeding on human life force and steadily gaining a foothold on the planet. Now they threaten humanity's extinction. They can be fought with one weapon only: the mind, pushed to--and beyond--its limits. Pushed so far that humans can read each other's thoughts, that the moon can be shifted from its orbit by thought alone. Pushed so that man can at last join battle with the loathsome parasites on equal terms.

Guess What Came to Dinner?

Guess What Came to Dinner? PDF

Author: Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., CNS

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2001-07-09

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1101662492

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Are you having difficulty shaking an illness? Have you been feeling chronically tired and listless? Do you have a health problem your doctor can’t identify? The cause may be parasites in your body. If you think that parasitic diseases happen only to people in Third World Countries, think again. The rate of parasite-related disorders in North American is skyrocketing. In this completely revised and updated edition of the most authoritative book on the subject for consumers, renowned nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman gives the information you need to know to ward off unwelcome organisms. Guess What Came to Dinner? explains what parasites are, why they are harmful, and how they are spread. Most importantly, she offers tips on creating a parasite-proof diet and lifestyle. What Came to Dinner? is the indispensible guide to protecting yourself and your loved ones from this hidden epidemic.

Parasite Rex

Parasite Rex PDF

Author: Carl Zimmer

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2000-09-21

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0743213718

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Combining the literary sensibility of David Quammen with the scientific rigor of Stephen Jay Gould, Carl Zimmer reveals the power, danger, and beauty of the surprising creatures who dominate the earth: parasites. For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and the darkest shadows of science. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer takes readers on a fantastic voyage into the secret universe of these extraordinary life-forms—which are not only among the most highly evolved on Earth, but make up the majority of life’s diversity. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the parasite-riddled war zone of southern Sudan, Zimmer introduces an array of amazing creatures that invade their hosts, prey on them from within, and control their behavior. He also vividly describes parasites that can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead. This comprehensive, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us all about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe—the laws of Parasite Rex.

In the Light of Evolution

In the Light of Evolution PDF

Author: National Academy of Sciences

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-01-01

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 0309444225

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Biodiversity-the genetic variety of life-is an exuberant product of the evolutionary past, a vast human-supportive resource (aesthetic, intellectual, and material) of the present, and a rich legacy to cherish and preserve for the future. Two urgent challenges, and opportunities, for 21st-century science are to gain deeper insights into the evolutionary processes that foster biotic diversity, and to translate that understanding into workable solutions for the regional and global crises that biodiversity currently faces. A grasp of evolutionary principles and processes is important in other societal arenas as well, such as education, medicine, sociology, and other applied fields including agriculture, pharmacology, and biotechnology. The ramifications of evolutionary thought also extend into learned realms traditionally reserved for philosophy and religion. The central goal of the In the Light of Evolution (ILE) series is to promote the evolutionary sciences through state-of-the-art colloquia-in the series of Arthur M. Sackler colloquia sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences-and their published proceedings. Each installment explores evolutionary perspectives on a particular biological topic that is scientifically intriguing but also has special relevance to contemporary societal issues or challenges. This tenth and final edition of the In the Light of Evolution series focuses on recent developments in phylogeographic research and their relevance to past accomplishments and future research directions.

The Supernaturalist

The Supernaturalist PDF

Author: Eoin Colfer

Publisher: Disney Electronic Content

Published: 2009-11-24

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 1423132432

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In the future, in a place called Satelite City, fourteen-year-old Cosmo Hill enters the world, unwanted by his parents. He's sent to the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys, Freight class. At Clarissa Frayne, the boys are put to work by the state, testing highly dangerous products. At the end of most days, they are covered with burns, bruises, and sores. Cosmo realizes that if he doesn't escape, he will die at this so-called orphanage. When the moment finally comes, Cosmo seizes his chance and breaks out with the help of the Supernaturalists, a motley crew of kids who all have the same special ability as Cosmo-they can see supernatural Parasites, creatures that feed on the life force of humans.

Parasite

Parasite PDF

Author: Mira Grant

Publisher: Hachette UK

Published: 2013-10-29

Total Pages: 512

ISBN-13: 0316218936

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From New York Times bestselling author Mira Grant comes a vision of a decade in the future, where humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease. We owe our good health to a humble parasite — a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the Intestinal Bodyguard worm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system — even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them. But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives . . . and will do anything to get them. "A riveting near-future medical thriller that reads like the genetically-engineered love child of Robin Cook and Michael Crichton." —John Joseph Adams More from Mira Grant: Parasitology Parasite Symbiont Chimera Newsflesh Feed Deadline Blackout Feedback Rise

Parasite

Parasite PDF

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher:

Published: 2016-08-08

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780992594916

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The year is 2296. We have established nearly six hundred stations across the known system. We believe we're invincible. During our quest to reach across the unending expanse of space, humanity has discovered and catalogued hundreds of alien lifeforms. None have ever shown any sentience beyond rudimentary animalistic behaviour, and we've become complacent in our role as the universe's dominant species. We aren't. Not by a long shot. When a guard discovers an unidentified lifeform near her remote moon station, she disregards protocol to investigate it. The consequences are catastrophic. We have established nearly six hundred stations across the known system. The Cymic Parasite spread through them like wildfire. The creature's disguise is horrifyingly effective. Once it infects its host, it absorbs their insides and wears their skin as a flawless mask. This wolf in sheep's clothing tactic allows it to infiltrate and overrun planets before anyone realises what's happening. It cannot be reasoned with. It's near-impossible to kill. And its sole purpose is to contaminate as many humans as it can reach. We have established nearly six hundred stations across the known system. And we're on the threshold of losing them all.