What do you know about parasites?

Here is another brilliantly fascinating video from TED-Ed. This one explores the deeply interesting — if somewhat frightening — world of parasites, calling them “brain hijackers.”

The definition of a parasite is: an organism that has sustained contact with another organism to the detriment of the host organism. Check out the video below to learn about 5 parasites and the methods they use to hijack the brains of their hosts to continue their life cycles.

Facts about parasites

• Parasites are often said to be the most common form of life on Earth. Some scientists believe that 80% of all living things are parasites.

• Malaria, which is caused by the parasite Protzoa Plasmodium, is the deadliest disease of all time. No disease, including the plague or smallpox, has killed more people. It has also killed more than all wars, famines and natural disasters combined.

• The Meguro Museum of Parasitology in Tokyo, Japan, only displays parasites, exhibiting 45,000 specimens. Museum visitors can even have their picture taken with a 30-foot-long tapeworm that has been extracted from a man’s intestine.

• Most parasitic infections happen in warm climates, such as South-east Asia or other tropical regions.

Source(s): TED-Ed