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violetsandshrikes · 2 months

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Notable Women In Zoology: Dr. Letitia Eva Takyibea Obeng

Dr. Obeng (1925-2023) was the first Ghanaian woman to obtain a degree in zoology, and the first to be awarded a doctorate. She is described as "the grandmother of female scientists in Ghana".

Her other notable accomplishments include:

A Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Botany (1952), a Master of Science in Parasitology (1962) and a PhD in Tropical Medicine (1964) where she studied the black fly and its relevance to river blindness

Post university, she lectured at the University College of Science and Technology (now known as Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST) from 1952 to 1959

In 1952, Dr. Obeng became the first female scientist at KNUST

After her husband's death in 19659, she moved to the the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

IN 1964, she established the Institute of Aquatic Biology within CSIR to research the huge manmade Volta Lake in Ghana and its inland water system

Dr. Obeng was the first scientist to be employed by the National Research Council of Ghana

In 1965, Dr Obeng became a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2006, she became the first female president of the Academy

In 1972, Dr. Obeng delivered the Caroline Haslett Memorial Lecture to the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, titled “Nation Building and the African Woman”

In 1972, she was an invited participant in the United Nations Human Environment Conference in Stockholm

In 1974, she began work as the Officer in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and in 1989, she became the Director of the UNEP Regional Office for Africa, and the UNEP's Representative to Africa

From 1992 to 1993, Obeng was a Distinguished International Visitor fellow at Radcliff College

In 1997, she received the CSIR Award for Distinguished Career and Service to Science and Technology, the first woman to receive such an award

The CSIR Laboratory (known as The Letitia Obeng Block) was named after her in 1997 as well

She received Ghana's highest national award, Order of the Star of Ghana in 2006

In 2017, she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from KNUST

She was also the author of numerous publications and works. Two meant for the public were Parasites, the Sly and Sneaky Enemies inside You (1997) and -Anthology of a Lifetime (2019)

#Letitia Obeng #international women's day #zoology

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seananmcguire · 10 months

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Hey! My mom and I both love your writing and my mom found out she can ask questions on here so I am here to relay her most pressing question. She was wondering if “the Parasite books have anything to do with neurodivergence?” She noted the character experiences sensory overload.

Only in the sense that I am neurodivergent, and I don't think I've ever written a neurotypical character. I don't want to say that Sal or any of the other, ahem, "special" people in Parasitology are meant to represent aspects of neurodivergence: they're not exactly human, and as such, they're not divergent from what they're meant to be.

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heepthecheep · 1 year

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Actually no, I'm not going to remain silent on this issue any longer.

Pregnancy is not parasitism. It's literally not, and the fact that the same people who claim to love science parrot these points is actually mind boggling to me.

I've taken parasitology. Part of my job involves looking for parasites in stool, urine and occasionally scrapings, or testing for parasitic antigens in blood. A pin worm does not inhabit the womb and transform into a human after 9 months. A hookworm has no human DNA, and both of its parents were hookworms, not humans.

A parasite is not the same species as it's host. A dog's heartworms are nematode worms and not a canine at a different stage of development.

Every argument about how pregnancy is parasitism is just so...Randian in nature. I hate to use this word in this way but good God, it's such a capitalistic mindset tbh

#womens health

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lizzaneia-elizalde · 4 months

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Male Yandere Parasite x Female Wife Reader

Inspired from Tomie, but what if a human scientist decided to genetically alter himself to be able to move from one host to another, taking over their body, and replacing the original host entirely? (Original host is dead, with their body acting as a husk puppet for yandere parasite). Yandere parasite decided to do this to try and achieve immortality so he could be with reader darling (literally) forever. The “only problem” is that he has to convince her now to let him do the same procedure on her so they both can be together forever…

This definitely goes into the body horror genre, so I don’t want you to freak out from potential graphic writing if you’re uncomfortable writing it. Stay in your comfort zone as always! I just thought this’d be a fun take on the “eternal soul mates” trope

Thanks!!! 💝

Yandere! Male! Parasite x Female! Professor! Wife! Reader

💝anon, this tested me ways I don't think is possible. But damn was it enjoyable to write.

For your other requests, I have to reject some ideas ;-; Don't get me wrong, your ideas are fantastic, but the requests reached my quota and I spun the wheel to choose which requests to do TT__TT

Not just 💝's requests too, some of others got rejected also due to again, having reached the quota already huhuhu.

Yandere! Parasite name: Acheron

Immortality. A lot of people want to live forever. Some go through the supernatural route, some religious, and some the scientific route of insanity.

Acheron has always been the weird kid.

A lot of people doesn't understand his genius, and his fixations on parasites didn't really help people understand his unique understanding of the world.

And he, who doesn't really see the importance in human interaction, didn't care to connect with people also.

He's quite cold, always had a perpetual annoyed look in his face, and doesn't smile until he talks about parasites.

He's in his own little world, in his own little space.

Yet, Acheron, despite being an unusual genius in his family, can only be reclused so much until he needs to actually go fight in the real adult world.

After graduating with a parasitology degree, he was lost, and didn't know what to do.

Sure, he could work in labs and study parasites as much as he wants, but working in a lab with other scientists that can be potentially more knowledgeable than him doesn't really sit well.

He's quite arrogant in his own right.

So, setting up a lab in his own home, he started to do experiments by himself.

Nobody to tell him that his experiments are unethical, nobody to tell that he's doing too much, nobody to tell him that "No, Acheron, using people for your parasitic experiments is bad!"

Well, who is the bad person now, huh?

He looked up at the vial in front of him. It was weird, seeing this small parasite wriggle and write letters on the glass with its slime.

The consciousness of the person he kidnapped to experiment on has transferred to this little worm.

And, on the table, is a comatose body who's only alive due to the machinery.

Never mind that the parasite spelled "HELP ME" on the glass, he just continued to place the parasite up the nose of the comatose body.

And, as he got out of the experimentation room and locked it up, he smirked once he saw the body twitch and writhe, and by the two hour mark, the man was slamming the glass walls, demanding to be let go and for him to return to his old body.

Acheron lets out a loud, triumphant, yet cruel laugh.

Consumed by his own ego, pride, and desire for immortality, he finally made the perfect vessel to be immortal himself.

He punched the red button and turned his back on the man, whose coughs and wheezes so as his pleadings turned to quiet murmurs. And, a sound of a falling body was heard.

And that is the story of how the first immortal emerged from a humble, blood filled, homemade lab.

It was the year 20XX, 50 years after the mysterious disappearance of Acheron in his home. It was burned down, but not a body was found.

Well, his body is not found.

Countless bodies were found under his garden, and one was found inside the burnt home. Including his parents.

There is no clear factor on which targets Acheron picked. All of them were at random.

But all of them had one thing in common. Inside of them were some type of parasite that was unknown.

It seems genetically modified, but was too dead or too burnt to be identified properly.

He's known as the parasitic recluse, as he's rarely seen outside of his, well, his parents' home, and that he's a parasitologist.

People theorized on what he did, and why was he experimenting. Did his parents knew about his work? Or are his parents in on it?

It was skin crawling, thinking what Acheron might have done to these people.

It's the start of the new semester in all of educational facilities. In one of the Ivy League Universities, one of the beloved professors in the biology department is walking towards the field to induct the new professors which just got hired.

Young as he may, he smiled at the students and co-personnel passing by him as took his place in one of the chairs.

It's Acheron, who took over the body of a well known parasitology professor in the University. After he passed by the office one day with his previous body, the professor coincidentally got a heart attack and died. So, he transferred bodies and framed it that his previous body was the one who got a heart attack.

It's been three years since then, and he finally got access to a bigger lab, and more knowledge from this body's previous knowledge.

He's thriving immensely. Immersed in work, experiments, and research now that he has all the time in the world. Honestly, this would have been such a heartfelt want if not for the fact that he did horrible experiments to people to gain such power.

Once the speakers played a royalty free music to start the ceremony, Acheron stood tall and scanned the new professors before landing his eyes on a starry eyed woman.

His heart raced a bit as he saw you look at him with such adoration, like he was your idol.

It was... Refreshing. He's never been looked up to like this, even before the ceremony.

After the inauguration, you hopped towards him with a grin. He also had a small smile.

"Sir [redacted]!" You cheerily said, pertaining to the person Acheron is occupying now. "I'm such a big fan of yours! Your researches, and I have a collection of parasites you discovered!"

Acheron chuckled liking your enthusiasm. It feels good to have such a fan like yourself.

"Well, thank you, miss..?"

"Y/N!"

"Y/N..." The way your name rolled off his tongue felt good, but he doesn't know why.

"May I invite you to drink some coffee, sir? I really want to talk to you more..." You shyly said, holding his hand.

He cleared his throat, suddenly shy and hot.

For the first time in his life/ves, he felt attraction, a simple crush wanting to bloom to a bigger thing. It's scary, but his heart yearned for more. After years of being barren, you burrowed yourself into a you-shaped hole in his heart and refused to be let out.

Slowly his fixation got a one up. Other than parasites, he's fixated on you.

Dating him is fun. Although, there are some times he gets a bit too jealous and possessive. He told you he planted some trackers in you, he's confrontational about your other co-workers and even students, and threatened to kill himself if you leave him.

It was extreme that even Acheron is winded by how extreme he is. But does he care? Somehow, but his heart was too much to be dictated.

And you, the blind person you are due to idolization, ignored these red flags and married him only after 6 months of dating.

After marrying, on your 1st year anniversary, he revealed everything.

And I mean, everything.

Acheron fully became comfortable around you.

He's much more lenient now as he studied researches and experimented with parasites.

It was weird, seeing him suddenly become so complacent with you. When he's such a red flag before, now it's almost a complete 180.

Did his insecurities die off..?

Now that you say that, he's really busy these days.

Maybe that's why he doesn't really have time for you anymore?

Somehow, that upset you a lot.

So, you confronted the guy in the laboratory you and him shared.

Opening the door slightly, you poked your head through the opening and saw him experimenting on a worm. The worm wiggled, as if spelling something.

Your heart trembled. Yes, you love Acheron, but sometimes, he does freak you out.

"Acheron? Are you busy?" You whispered, a bit of a sad edge on your voice.

"Hmm?" He looked up at you and grinned. "Love! How are you?"

He took off his gloves and went up to you. Hugging your body against him excitedly.

"What do you need?"

"Um, actu--"

"Well, whatever. Love! I finally remade the parasite!"

Your stomach dropped. Suddenly feeling dread on your stomach.

"P-parasite..?"

"Yes."

He grabbed a vial and showed you a worm suspended in water. It was just calmly wriggling around.

"I want you to inhale this, alright? Don't worry, it will only hurt a bit." He said with a manic grin.

Your heart pounded, your trembling eyes looking at the vial and back to him.

You could see parasites wriggling around in his eyes.

"Come on love, don't worry. It's completely safe!"

He held your shoulders, gripping it strong that you can't even break out of his hold.

You can't run.

You wanted this relationship.

So suffer the consequences.

"We will be together, forever!"

#lizzaneiaelizalde #yandere writing #yandere imagines #yandere boyfriend #yandere male #male yandere x reader #tw yandere #yandere x darling #yandere x you #yandere fic

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stigandr-the-cat · 2 months

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Behind the world of "What Crawls in the Night" the pseudo-science

'What Crawls in the Night' Masterlist

AN: This was not written by a professional I am just a nerd. This is pseudo-science for an upcoming post-apocalyptic AU. Nor have I played COD I just think it (it being TF141) looks neat.

*Recovered Historical Document - HDC-TF141-483-NHL*

A Summary of Known Information on Toxoplasma Grant (T. Grant)

By Dr. Stigandr Katten et al

Objective

Summarize the history, symptomology, modes of transmission, prevention of infection, and what should be done in the face of Toxoplasma Grant.

History

Toxoplasma Grant (i.e., T. Grant) is also known by its common name, “Night Crawler”, so named after how it causes its hosts to be active at night and not, ‘as some may claim’, because of one of its original researcher’s love of the Marvel Character. T. Grant was originally found in a cave hidden in the permafrost of Siberia. The geological team led by Dr. R. J. Antony stumbled across a group of ten mummified human remains that were littered with holes. The team called for support from both an anthropologist as well as a parasitologist when one of the students of the geological team astutely observed that there was what appeared to be a dried, hyper-enlarged parasite inside the holes. This unknown student is the only reason we have been able to gather this paltry information or even know about T. Grant. Without their observation, we would be lost in the dark as this infection rolled over the globe; it’s a shame then, that their name and also their life was one of the first lost to the parasite.

Dr. Shanti Cale of UCSF's parasitology department was sent to investigate, along with her assistant, Steven Banks. A Doctor of Anthropology, Zackery Addy of Georgetown, was also sent. It was during one of the many autopsy sessions that video evidence shows Steven Banks accidentally cut himself and squirted one of the pipettes with rehydrated worm larva into the cut. Instead of informing the doctors, Mr. Banks cleaned the wound perhaps believing falsely that it would be ok. As we know now, that was the furthest thing from the truth. During its incubation period, Mr. Banks became severely ill, vomiting into a sink that flowed into the communal water tanks for the site. We believe, but can't confirm due to loss of the site, that faulty filters didn't pick up the presence of the parasite, which then was given back to the researchers in the water they drank. Even without that confirmation, within hours nearly all of the assembled teams were infected, as is evidenced when, after its incubation period of about 24 hours, video shows Mr. Banks, as well as the other infected, attacking and killing other members of the teams. From there, the hosts start dissipating from camp while shortly after, cases start appearing in Russia, China, Mongolia, and other eastern European countries.

Sources have started to also call hosts 'Zombies,' since they hold many of the same characteristics as the made-up monsters. Unlike the monsters, who some of my teammates have informed me are considered near immortal, the hosts start decomposing after the frontal lobe is eaten by the parasite, as the brain no longer has the ability to tell the body to replace or repair cells. Movement becomes limited the further the infection progresses. An odd pattern has been observed that the infected avoid sunlight as well as warmth, moving more towards colder climates. A debate has been raised as to whether or not the parasite realizes its host's body is decomposing and trying to find ways to slow down that process. Personally, this researcher doesn't believe that a parasite could be capable of that kind of thinking and instead posits that it avoids the light as normally it is only found alive in the dark. Hopefully, time and more studying will reveal the answer.

Recent autopsies conducted on hosts of T. Grant show that the parasite goes from the intestinal tract to infect the blood and then starts burrowing into the muscles and organs of the host, eating away at them and from there growing in size. For some of the infected, about 15%, the parasite can't cross the blood-brain barrier. We do not know at this time if anything can be done to save these kinds of cases, but we do know that within a week or two of infection, the patient is driven mad with the agonizing pain of being eaten alive and death is a mercy. It's almost to be considered a blessing then that most of the time the parasite eats the brain first. The only way death can occur in victims or the brain-dead-but-walking hosts is to shoot them in the head or remove the head in some other fashion. Once the host’s body reaches the active and advanced stages of decomposition, they are no longer able to move but still are considered an active and dangerous carrier.

Symptomology

The initial indicators that one has been infected by T. Grant are brain fog, as well as muscle cramps, and abdominal pain, followed by hematemesis. After 24-72 hours, depending on the digestion system of the host, the biggest sign, to put it bluntly, will be the host trying to attack and eat you.

Modes of Transmission

There are three common vectors for the transmission of T. Grant. First, the blood, spit, waste, and other viscera of infected hosts. Second, reservoir host animals are a concern, as, while animals can't develop fully the parasite like the human body can, eating undercooked meat—especially the intestines of infected animals—leads to human infection in nearly all cases. Third, the parasite has been found in wastewater as well as natural bodies of water. Dr. Mary Wolfenstein of Lancaster University postulates that this is from rain waters falling on the putrefying bodies of T. Grant's victims or should a host fall into a lake or free-flowing body of water during decomposition.

Prevention of Infection

Avoid contact with the infected, including the non-moving. Only once a body has reached full skeletonization is it safe to touch. If contact can't be avoided, do not allow any of the host's fluid or body to enter your mouth, other orifices, or wounds.

Reservoir host animals are typically carrion birds and other carnivorous animals; avoid eating these animals, especially if they are undercooked. Omnivours also can be reservoir hosts, but not as frequently as carnivores. Caution should also be applied to animal waste as parasites can live in it for weeks to months. Until the waste is fully dried or sterilized, it should not be handled without great care. Thankfully, research has shown that herbivores can't be infected even when given infected water or injected with the parasite. Early studies have shown that this could be due to the rumination in their complex stomach systems.

When dealing with water, research has shown that the only way to rid the water of the parasite is to boil it for five minutes or let it rest in a clean environment for 10-14 days, with a shorter timeframe of 4-6 days if the water is in a warmer climate or the contaminate has been removed from free-flowing water. Standing water should be avoided on principle.

Caution is also to be extended to soil if it's been contaminated by carnivorous or omnivorous animal waste or decomposed host bodies. So it should go without saying don’t eat soil or get infected soil into an open wound. Now depending on soil temperature, parasites can live for five months in environments where the soil temperature is 40°F (4°C) and three months at 70°F (21°C). With the evidence of the permafrost mummies, should the parasite stay in a host that is then rapidly frozen after death, it can live for close to thousands of years if the carbon dating was accurate. While plants can't host the virus, should you improperly wash vegetables or fruit grown in contaminated soil, you risk infection.

What Comes Next

Given all of this information, we should be preparing for a long siege by the parasite. Yet, the United States as well as many other 'developed' countries are currently using AI technology to search and destroy any content relating to T. Grant. When I questioned a source at the CIA, they could only offer the idea that this was to keep from repeating the violence and hysteria of the ‘Odin Crisis’ and the COVID-19 pandemic—to which this researcher can only say, bullshit—people need to be preparing. We have, at most, months if not weeks before this parasite is completely global. People need to be barricading their homes with enough food and bottled water to last at least 6 months, if not fleeing to warmer, southern climates. Yet, many governments are not only burying their heads in the sand, but one politician I spoke to said, "If this is how Armageddon is meant to come, then we can't stop it." Without any action or preparation, we are looking at 95% of humanity dead within 2 years. This is a fact that I wish I was making up, but computer model projections show that when the virus hits the United States, 60% of humanity will be dead within six days, 84% at two weeks, 89% at six months, 93% at a year, and finally 95% at 2 years. With the proposed 6-month quarantine, we are still looking at losses close to 74% on a global scale, but it would mean a billion or so lives that would be saved with those preparations.

However, it seems that government policy will remain the same. If the government will do nothing, then we, the scientific community, must do something. Speak out about this coming crisis. Warn all around you to prepare. The end of humanity comes not with the splitting of an atom or a shot heard around the world, but with a parasite that will eat us from the inside out.

*Historical note - While this document is different than contemporary scientific articles in its structure and tone, evidence has been shown that this document was meant to be the start of Dr. Katten et al releasing all gathered information; and therefore more of a call to action to a scientific community that was stunned at the swift silencing of information by many governments. Dr. Stigandr Katten was killed soon after the publication of this article. While police claim it was a home invasion gone wrong, recovered internal NSA emails offer evidence they were killed in an attempt to silence the truth from getting out. Following their death, the rest of their team was disbanded with more evidence showing they were threatened into silence.

*More Information - The journals of Dr. Katten, as well as portions of the team's notes, were recently discovered showing the work put in to build the parasite’s profile. Should you wish to read either of these documents, please contact the New Hope Library about receiving an e-copy of them. The physical copies will be on display in the New Hope Museum in the 'Survival During the Endemic' Wing.

#babbling.brook.writing #call of duty #call of duty fic #cod fic #tf 141 x reader #tf 141 #john price x reader #kyle gaz garrick x reader #john soap mactavish x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #What Crawls in the Night

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gardensofthemoon · 2 months

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10 shocking facts about me

Tagged by my dear @elevenelvenswords, thank you!

I love these dash games so much. I tried to think of some stuff that’d be actually surprising.

1. I witnessed an autopsy and now I know what a human skull sounds like when it’s being sawed open. And what it smells like.

2. When I was 13 I gave myself a helix piercing with a sewing needle. Without any kind of sanitisation. I kept it for 2 days before it got infected.

3. I’m very tall, over 6ft. Maybe that’s why I like the Noldor so much.

4. My religious mother sometimes sends me her university homework/papers for proofreading (Ethnology Studies) and the last thing she had me read was about… mpreg. Not joking.

5. I love languages and linguistics, and even though I only speak English, a little French and my native language, I learned the Cyrillic alphabet, the Greek alphabet, the Georgian alphabet and the Korean Hangeul.

6. I’m not a professionally trained musician but I used to sing in a choir and we performed at the most prestigious concert hall in my country. (yes I am bragging a little.)

7. I grew up with the LOTR movies as my dad is a Tolkien fan and he played bits for me and my brother right from the age of 4 or 5 years old, and because of nostalgia I prefer the movies to the LOTR books.

8. I lived in Brazil for a month and during that time I managed to get infected with a tropical parasite, while in my home country I had failed my parasitology exam at university. When I got back home and retook the exam I still had the parasite in my body. Thankfully I wasn’t in any danger.

9. I used to write princess stories as a middle-grader and I tried to write sexual content without knowing anything about it and my dad found me out.

10. For someone who has participated in surgeries and (passionately) learned anatomy on corpses, I am very squeamish about broken bones and injuries and I don’t really like gore in any kind of media.

This was really fun haha! No pressure tagging @polutrope @swanhild @saintstars @ettelene @crackinthecup @fraeuleinfriedhof and whoever else wants to join in! 💗

#tumblr games #about me

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bpod-bpod · 7 months

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Turning the Worm

Humans can catch the parasitic worm Trichinella spiralis from eating eg. infected pork. Here, an enzyme has been identified that's involved in the worm larvae invasion of the host gut lining – presenting a novel target for treatment of trichinosis

Read the published research paper here

Image from work by Yan Yan Song and colleagues

Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, September 2023

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

#science #biomedicine #immunofluorescence #parasites #worms #trichinosis #gut parasites

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great-and-small · 1 year

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Hi! I was scrolling through your posts just now and saw your note about liking parasitology - i do, too! It was always one of my favourite parts of studying biology. What would you say if your 'favourite' parasite then? (i must admit I am impossibly fascinated by every aspect of Ascaris lumbricoides' whole deal - the lifecycle, how widespread it is, how resistant the eggs are... Also, they're just so beautiful inside, a cross-section of make makes for a very appealing image? Almost perfect of a being!)

I completely agree that going down the roundworm rabbit hole is shockingly fascinating. I literally love reading about historic research about ascaris in humans because so many early scientists ate worm eggs just to be like “see now there are these worms in my poop how crazy is that” lol. I got to present research on equine roundworms at a conference a few years ago and while they’re not as flashy as some other roundworms they’re still absolutely remarkable in the efficiency of their lifecycle. I got in trouble when I was working as an equine vet tech because I kept gushing to owners about how cool various horse parasites are, and obviously most horse owners do not agree with that stance.

It’s so hard to pick just one parasite as a favorite! I love all pentastomids, the tiny-but-mighty screwworm fascinates me, and and I find myself thinking about toxoplasmosis gondii all the time. I went as a lone star tick for Halloween year before last and I’m fond of the Guinea worm too for the historical relevance. Someday I will do superlatives for all my faves and hand out titles for most interesting, scariest, funniest, most nostalgic, etc. There will probably be a LOT of honorable mentions

#asks #parasitology #parasites #it pains me to leave so many off even this list lmao

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er-cryptid · 19 days

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Epidemiology of Babesia

Patreon

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royalreef · 1 year

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(( Not finished but yet again sketching Girl.

#Most secret royal advisor || OOC #The Parasitological Museum || Mun Art #(( yes i AM putting off the arms #(( why are human arms like that #(( why are human legs like that #(( why are human like that #(( also i didnt like fur and hair are just REALLY fun to work on

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septima-severa · 2 months

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Chapter 3 of the Thrawn fanfiction is out

I have finished editing the third installment of the Thrawn x reader story, "I have fallen in love with the villain". This chapter is NSFW in the first half, as the reader goes into her heat.

However, there is also some plot.

“You reek of a Jedi,” one of the figures clad in red robes sneered.

“She’s not of your concern, Great Mothers.”

“She is if she interferes with our plans.”

“But she won’t,” the Grand Admiral said, dismissively.

“Her destiny is unclear.”

And as I have promised that I would explain some science behind the story, I would like to start with the end of this chapter.

[trigger warning: mention of brain-eating parasites, disgusting topic]

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There had had to be survivors – at least for some time period – because someone had cut into the carcass, taking the meat. Yet your preliminary analysis showed that there was a high content of parasites, both on the surface and inside the muscle. You set the computer to search the database you had available, and some results indicated similarity to endoparasites potentially dangerous to humanoids upon digestion of infected meat.

Symptoms of the infection would be mild at first, but once the parasites breached the natural barriers of the central nervous system, they could go unnoticed by the host’s immune system. From neurocysticercosis causing epilepsy to encephalitis, the brain damage might prove lethal if untreated.

Thinking about it was painful.

You decided to write a report once the analysis was complete, and then send it to Thrawn. He would surely know whether there were members of this particular crew aboard Chimaera. Thing was, you weren’t completely sure how to perform tests to diagnose people with these parasites. Their life cycles could take many years, and unless they infected the brain already, scans would be probably inefficient.

---

I went through a parasitology course during my bachelor's many many years ago, and forgot most of the stuff there, but endoparasites specifically invading the central nervous system seemed very appropriate for the story. I read some of the fanfiction mentioning that purrgils carried diseases and so on, so I just wanted to add to this.

If you are interested what a human brain looks like with neurocysticercosis, there is a publicly available article accessible via NCBI.

Garcia, H. H. (2021). Parasitic infections of the nervous system. Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.), 27(4), 943.

#fanfiction #star wars #grand admiral thrawn #thrawn x reader #thrawn fanfiction #peridea #science behind fanfiction

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