I'm inclined to believe that article. It makes me wonder what the 'goal' of the toxoplasma actually is in humans, and how it's linked with schizophrenia. What I'd like to know is if schizophrenia is the result of successful manipulation, or the result of a visible mental battle with the parasite. It makes sense that we wouldn't much notice overall, since creatures who are self-aware (like humans), would be able to ignore/reason away any 'manipulation' taking place much more readily than creatures who aren't self-aware (like grasshoppers, rats, etc.).
And this question has probably been adressed before, but how exactly do such parasites know to induce such behaviour in their hosts? How exactly are they aware that clinging to a stalk of grass increases the likelihood of the host (ant) being eaten by a grazer? Has there been much research into that?
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And this question has probably been adressed before, but how exactly do such parasites know to induce such behaviour in their hosts? How exactly are they aware that clinging to a stalk of grass increases the likelihood of the host (ant) being eaten by a grazer? Has there been much research into that?