The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean · Sam Kean, Bleav
Machiavellian Microbes
November 19, 2024·19 min·1 clip
Toxoplasma makes infected male rodents sexually aroused by the smell of cat urine, luring them to their deaths so the parasite can reproduce.
As heard by us
Parasites here do more than infect bodies; they nudge behavior and biology into stranger shapes.
This episode starts with Jack Wright's 689-cat story and uses that absurd scale to open into a broader look at parasites and what they can do inside a host.
Why you'd press play
If cat parasites, ant zombies, and wasp-ruling bacteria sound worth 20 minutes, press play.
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