> Toxoplasma gondii, can override a rodent's most basic survival instincts. The result is a rodent that does not race away from a cat but is instead strangely attracted to it.
Perhaps humans who think cats are cute are actually experiencing the same effect from the parasite.
Despite the title, I found the details regarding rodent brains and the kiss and spit mechanism much more engaging and convincing than the discussion of effects on humans.
Strange, i never heard "human model" in the research context. I've always felt that the usage of "animal model" is a reprehensible euphemism here. Research on animals. Minimum we owe them is to call it as it is.
Once infected, a person will remain a carrier for life. Our immune system is apparently incapable of eliminating the tissue cysts, nor can any known drug.
"Curiously, infected men found cat urine odor more pleasant than uninfected men; in women, the opposite occurred."
I read somewhere that they sometimes put this odor in perfumes (such as Chanel 5), I find it interesting to see this process must make it less attractive to women and more to to men, I wonder if they also put it in men's perfumes.
I've had cats for all my life and I would assume to be "infected" by this point, but I can say, without reservation, I have never enjoyed the smell of cat urine.
24 comments
[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 59.9 ms ] threadPerhaps humans who think cats are cute are actually experiencing the same effect from the parasite.
1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1420315
2: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3573694
3: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=789517
That seems... extreme. Interesting word choice there!
Strange, i never heard "human model" in the research context. I've always felt that the usage of "animal model" is a reprehensible euphemism here. Research on animals. Minimum we owe them is to call it as it is.
[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu_Mythos_deities#Bast
Once infected, a person will remain a carrier for life. Our immune system is apparently incapable of eliminating the tissue cysts, nor can any known drug.
The story of my life.
I read somewhere that they sometimes put this odor in perfumes (such as Chanel 5), I find it interesting to see this process must make it less attractive to women and more to to men, I wonder if they also put it in men's perfumes.
In light of the stereotype of the spinster cat lady, I find this very difficult to believe. You'd think some man somewhere would pick up on that.