Support Zombie Research!

by Kelly Weinersmith
(Santa Barbara, CA, USA)

If we're going to protect ourselves from the oncoming zombie invasion, it's important that we know all that we can about zombification. While we currently have no human specimens to study, we can examine how parasites hijack the bodies of their hosts to suit their own needs. I study a trematode parasite (Euhaplorchis californiensis) that infects the brains of California killifish. It changes the fish's brain chemistry, and causes the fish to engage in behaviors that make it extremely conspicuous. For example, the fish have silvery bellies and will turn these bellies towards the water surface. The sunlight reflects off their belly, and suddenly it's very easy to see the fish in the water. Predatory birds apparently also find these zombie fish easy to see and catch, as infected fish are up to 30 times more likely to be eaten than uninfected fish. These weird behaviors benefit the parasites, because the parasites require predatory birds as the last stage in their life cycle.

JOIN ME in my research to understand the zombification of these fish! In return for help to fund my zombie research I'll send you information about awesome parasites for at least one month. Most importantly, when the zombie apocalypse hits we'll have some information about how our brains can be hijacked to suit our zombie overlord's needs. If we live in a merciful world, then this information may save us.

Check out my project here: http://www.rockethub.com/projects/3737-support-zombie-research