Could Parasites Turn Us into Zombies?

Curiosity Weekly

Learn about whether parasites can turn us into zombies, why awkward silences are so awkward, and why bubbles form in boiling water.

Could parasites turn us into zombies? By Cameron Duke

• Ahmed, I. (2019, November). The science of zombies: Will the undead rise? Phys.Org; Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2019-11-science-zombies-undead.html
• Blum, J., Schmid, C., & Burri, C. (2006). Clinical aspects of 2541 patients with second stage human African trypanosomiasis. Acta Tropica, 97(1), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2005.08.001
• Flegr, J. (2007). Effects of Toxoplasma on Human Behavior. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 33(3), 757–760. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbl074
• McAuliffe, K. (2012, February 6). How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/
• Pappas, S. (2011, October 20). Unrelenting Sex Drive May Signal Deadly Rabies. Livescience.Com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/16627-sex-drive-rabies-infection.html
• Thomas, B. (2015, October 29). Meet the Parasites That Control Human Brains. Discover Magazine. https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/meet-the-parasites-that-control-human-brains

The Science of Awkward Silences by Anna Todd

• Koudenburg, N., Postmes, T., & Gordijn, E. H. (2011). Disrupting the flow: How brief silences in group conversations affect social needs. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(2), 512–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2010.12.006
• Koudenburg, N., Postmes, T., & Gordijn, E. H. (2013). Resounding Silences. Social Psychology Quarterly, 76(3), 224–241. https://doi.org/10.1177/0190272513496794

Why do bubbles form in boiling water? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Abu)

• UCSB Science Line. (2020). Ucsb.Edu. http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=3197
• Why Does Water Bubble When It Boils? (2019, November 2). Wonderopolis.Org. https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-does-water-bubble-when-it-boils
• Helmenstine, A.M. (2019). Know the Chemical Composition of Bubbles in Boiling Water. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-the-bubbles-in-boiling-water-4109061
• Breslyn, W. (2016). Boiling, Atmospheric Pressure, and Vapor Pressure [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag4lLUXKuSM
• FAQ: Boiling and altitude/pressure. (2020). IAPWS.org. http://www.iapws.org/faq1/boil.html

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Ashley Hamer and Natalia Reagan (filling in for Cody Gough). You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/could-parasites-turn-us-into-zombies

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.