At the intersection of horror and from science, a shocking study reveals how parasitic horsehair worms have exerted a sinister influence on the minds of their hosts. These worms, which live inside praying mantisforce their victims to walk to the water so that they can drown.
Research carried out by Dartmouth University in the United States has revealed the secret behind this terrifying mind control: they steal their hosts’ genes!
A ‘supernatural’ control
Horsehair worms, known scientifically as Chordodes formosanus, manage to turn the praying mantis’ genes into a weapon against themselves. This happens through a molecule that causes its victims to walk towards the light reflected in the water.
After the victims’ tragic plunge, the adult worms break free. The results of this study, published in the journal Current Biologyprovide a chilling glimpse into the world of parasites.
The life cycle of these worms begins in ponds, puddles, pools and streams, where they hatch from eggs. Then, they hitch a ride to the coast, attaching themselves to aquatic insects.
They are then ingested by praying mantises and crickets, in which they grow rapidly before beginning the mind control process, transforming their victims into zombies unable to resist.
Image: Takuya Sato/Reproduction
To understand how these worms achieve mind control, scientists performed a genetic analysis of the worms before, during and after controlling their hosts.
The researchers found that about 4,500 worm genes changed their expression when the host was being manipulated, while the praying mantis genes remained unchanged. This indicated that the worms used the genes to produce their own proteins.
The discovery of horizontal gene transfer
The study revealed that 1,400 worm genes Chordodes formosanus they closely matched the praying mantis genes they controlled. These genes were absent in other horsehair worm species that did not use the praying mantis as a host.
What is most surprising is that many of the genes of worms they are remarkably similar to those of praying mantises, suggesting that they were acquired through horizontal gene transfer.
Until then, this process was considered rare and limited to bacteria, but it has been discovered in other areas of biology, such as plants and even between snakes and frogs, through shared parasites.
Horizontal gene transfer allows organisms to acquire new genes and functions, accelerating adaptation.
This finding may provide a basis for studying the mechanisms underlying horizontal transfer of genes and contribute to our understanding of evolution and adaptation in complex environments.
The study offers a fascinating, as well as disturbing, look at the interaction of parasites and hosts, calling into question nature’s complexity and surprising adaptation, even in the darkest corners of animal life.
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