Hijacking the body of a convenient host is nothing new in the opportunistic world of parasitism. Nor are zombie ants, thanks to the fittingly named zombie-ant fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis), ...

All modern Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite in humans, are descendants of one initial infection and so are very closely related, with relatively limited genetic differences. A ...

For the first time the developmental stages of the deadliest human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, have been mapped in high resolution, allowing scientists to better understand this ...

Australian researchers have uncovered how a particular strain of a diarrhea-causing parasite managed to infect more animal ...

Researchers have shown how genetic defects in Toxoplasma gondii are rescued if co-infected with normal parasites, thanks to supportive secreted proteins. The study was published today as a Version of ...

A microscopic parasite that can live for decades in the human brain infects an estimated one-third of the world's population ...

Parasite-host modeling meets reality: adaptive peaks and their ecological attributes / A.M. Kuris, K.D. Lafferty -- Adaptive diversity, specialisation, habitat preference and parasites / T. de Meeus - ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Imagine a small, otherworldly looking crustacean that ...

If you ever travel back in time to the reign of dinosaurs, don’t touch any flowers – it might just be a parasitic wasp in disguise. Analysis of wasps trapped in amber has revealed that the insect ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Imagine a common ant scouring its habitat for food when it ...