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Cat Parasite Affects Everything We Feel and Do
ABCNews ^ | June 09 2099 [sic] | staff reporter

Posted on 06/08/2010 6:07:57 AM PDT by Daffynition

Kevin Lafferty is a smart, cautious, thoughtful scientist who doesn't hate cats, but he has put forth a provocative theory that suggests that a clever cat parasite may alter human cultures on a massive scale.

His phone hasn't stopped ringing since he published one of the strangest research papers to come out of the mill in quite awhile.

The parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, has been transmitted indirectly from cats to roughly half the people on the planet, and it has been shown to affect human personalities in different ways.

Research has shown that women who are infected with the parasite tend to be warm, outgoing and attentive to others, while infected men tend to be less intelligent and probably a bit boring. But both men and women who are infected are more prone to feeling guilty and insecure.

Other researchers have linked the parasite to schizophrenia. In an adult, the symptoms are like a mild form of flu, but it can be much more serious in an infant or fetus. Oxford University researchers believe high levels of the parasite leads to hyperactivity and lower IQs in children.

Lafferty, who is a parasite ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the University of California at Santa Barbara, is an expert on the role parasites play in the ecology of other animals.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Pets/Animals; Science; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: catparasite; kittyping
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To: Daffynition

[Lafferty, who is a parasite ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the University of California at Santa Barbara,]

IOW - It’s grant time for the Parasitic Parasitologist.

And I’ll take my cat, Maximus, over the rodents he kills any day.


41 posted on 06/08/2010 9:25:14 AM PDT by LomanBill (Animals! The DemocRats blew up the windmill with an Acorn!)
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To: a fool in paradise; Slings and Arrows; Glenn; republicangel; Bahbah; Beaker; BADROTOFINGER; ...

42 posted on 06/08/2010 10:54:34 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows (You can't have IngSoc without an Emmanuel Goldstein.)
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To: Scythian

Are you the one who was talking about this and other parasites a few months ago?


43 posted on 06/08/2010 11:17:25 AM PDT by Lx (Do you like it, do you like it. Scott? I call it Mr. and Mrs. Tennerman chili.)
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To: Scythian

Oh, you already beat me.


44 posted on 06/08/2010 11:18:02 AM PDT by Lx (Do you like it, do you like it. Scott? I call it Mr. and Mrs. Tennerman chili.)
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To: Paradox

LMAO!! And don’t let any guilty, insecure cat lovers here get you down.


45 posted on 06/08/2010 11:20:21 AM PDT by Constitution Day
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To: libertarian27
X
46 posted on 06/08/2010 12:08:06 PM PDT by TheOldLady
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To: Slings and Arrows

Is this PETA trying to get us to give up our pets again? Stick a sock in it, PETA!


47 posted on 06/08/2010 12:19:08 PM PDT by TheOldLady
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To: Daffynition


Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

48 posted on 06/08/2010 12:32:04 PM PDT by The Comedian (Evil can only succeed if good men don't point at it and laugh.)
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To: Daffynition; Lady Jag; Slings and Arrows

49 posted on 06/08/2010 12:56:07 PM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: All
Truly a stupid article. Let's talk about Birds and the 60 diseases they carry into your back yard and to your pets.
50 posted on 06/08/2010 1:01:15 PM PDT by Fawn (I LOVE Arizona!)
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To: HighlyOpinionated

Birds.....stay away from birds.


51 posted on 06/08/2010 1:01:44 PM PDT by Fawn (I LOVE Arizona!)
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To: Daffynition

52 posted on 06/08/2010 1:04:48 PM PDT by RichInOC (No! BAD Rich! (What'd I say?))
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To: Daffynition
Research has shown that women who are infected with the parasite tend to be warm, outgoing and attentive to others, while infected men tend to be less intelligent and probably a bit boring. But both men and women who are infected are more prone to feeling guilty and insecure.

I always thought that was Catholic Guilt.

53 posted on 06/08/2010 2:19:55 PM PDT by Jaded (I realized that after Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says W T F)
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To: listenhillary
Transmission

Ingestion of contaminated cat feces

How about some Kitty Litter Cake?

YUM!!!!

Mark

54 posted on 06/08/2010 3:09:32 PM PDT by MarkL (Do I really look like a guy with a plan?)
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To: Daffynition; AdmSmith; Berosus; bigheadfred; blueyon; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; ...
Other researchers have linked the parasite to schizophrenia.
My cat speaks to me all the time, and he told me not to worry about this, and to (if I get the chance) kill the researchers. ;')
55 posted on 06/08/2010 5:34:57 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: BubbaBasher

“Damn! Now I have to cut back on my cat consumption.”

It’s OK as long you cook them thoroughly.


56 posted on 06/08/2010 5:56:22 PM PDT by Nik Naym (It's not my fault... I have compulsive smartass disorder.)
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To: SunkenCiv
that's really *out there* ... like how many cats does it take to screw in a light bulb. ;)


57 posted on 06/08/2010 7:44:46 PM PDT by Daffynition ("Play it, Sam, for old times' sake, play 'As Time Goes By'.")
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To: Daffynition
A plush toy version of Toxoplasma gondii:


58 posted on 06/08/2010 7:54:28 PM PDT by LibFreeOrDie (Obama promised a gold mine, but will give us the shaft.)
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To: LibFreeOrDie

LOL

Thems ‘nanas ain’t ripe yet!


59 posted on 06/08/2010 7:56:14 PM PDT by Daffynition ("Play it, Sam, for old times' sake, play 'As Time Goes By'.")
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To: KevinDavis

This seems like sci-fi, does it count? There’s a movie in this somewhere.


60 posted on 06/09/2010 4:27:27 AM PDT by Kevmo (So America gets what America deserves - the destruction of its Constitution. ~Leo Donofrio, 6/1/09)
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