{"product_id":"this-is-your-brain-on-parasites-how-tiny-creatures-manipulate-our-behavior-and-shape-society-paperback","title":"This Is Your Brain on Parasites: How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior and Shape Society - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKathleen McAuliffe\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Engrossing ... [An] expedition through the hidden and sometimes horrifying microbial domain.\" --\u003cem\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Fascinating--and full of the kind of factoids you can't wait to share.\" --\u003cem\u003eScientific American\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Parasites can live only inside another animal and, as Kathleen McAuliffe reveals, these tiny organisms have many evolutionary motives for manipulating the behavior of their hosts. With astonishing precision, parasites can coax rats to approach cats, spiders to transform the patterns of their webs, and fish to draw the attention of birds that then swoop down to feast on them. We humans are hardly immune to their influence. Organisms we pick up from our own pets are strongly suspected of changing our personality traits and contributing to recklessness and impulsivity--even suicide. Germs that cause colds and the flu may alter our behavior even before symptoms become apparent. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Parasites influence our species on the cultural level, too. Drawing on a huge body of research, McAuliffe argues that our dread of contamination is an evolved defense against parasites. The horror and revulsion we are programmed to feel when we come in contact with people who appear diseased or dirty helped pave the way for civilization, but may also be the basis for major divisions in societies that persist to this day. \u003cem\u003eThis Is Your Brain on Parasites\u003c\/em\u003e is both a journey into cutting-edge science and a revelatory examination of what it means to be human. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"If you've ever doubted the power of microbes to shape society and offer us a grander view of life, read on and find yourself duly impressed.\" --Heather Havrilesky, \u003cem\u003eBookforum\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eKATHLEEN MCAULIFFE is a journalist whose work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe Best American Science and Nature Writing\u003c\/i\u003e and more than a dozen national magazines, including \u003ci\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDiscover\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSmithsonian\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 7.8 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 16, 2017\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51756603539744,"sku":"9780544947252","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/11c0383c5231df9b226a2a7c007cc49d.webp?v=1780081980","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/this-is-your-brain-on-parasites-how-tiny-creatures-manipulate-our-behavior-and-shape-society-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}