Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/10/23/the-zombie-fruit-flies-in-your.html
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Terriflying.
Edited for clarity.
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Every time I read about (yet another) type of parasite that takes over the brains of insects* and controls them, I can’t help but think there’s got to be some parasites that do that to human beings. Toxoplasma parasites control rodents - and incidentally impact human behavior when we’re infected - but there have to be more, and parasites that specifically target human beings (or at least find them acceptable hosts, unlike toxoplasma).
*Or the parasitic barnacle that takes over crabs, etc.
In the realm of mind-controlling horrific parasites, this one is actually rather tame…
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That’s why I keep one of these in the pantry for swattin’ 'em.
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Yeah, I remember watching that (and the similar “Firewalker” episode) and naively thinking it was a bit over-the-top, in terms of the influence the parasite had. I subsequently learned it’s not far-fetched at all, given what parasites are known to do other organisms. And real parasites get much, much nastier. (E.g. the various types of parasites that, er, replace reproductive organs and hijack basic reproductive instincts to control the host organism to spread themselves. Even David Cronenberg hasn’t come up with shit this perverse.)
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I wonder if tests have been done on Trump supporters? I can picture them, at dusk, stepping out onto their porches, sticking their arms straight up while their fungus oozes out and fires hundreds of reproductive spores. But not dying. They just lower their arms, and return to sitting in front of the Fox News hivemind while awaiting further instructions. Chilling.
Fortunately, they have us to do it for them.
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Kinemortophobia by proxy, huh? Clever little buggers.
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Honestly, I would not be at all surprised if there was some biological agent - some parasite, infection or toxic contamination - that caused humans to be predisposed to religious authoritarianism. Being a Trump supporter, at some level, might literally be a sickness.
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An admirer
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Regular fruit does not fly, but zombie fruit flies in my kitchen.
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There is but we haven’t identified it … you know the symptoms as they all follow Trump and watch Fox News.
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Yikes! All the more reason to set up a trap. We use apple cider vinegar in a small bowl covered in plastic wrap with a small hole poked into the plastic. It has to be changed weekly, but cleans these pesky little, zombie fungus carrying flies out of the kitchen.
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As I said above - I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it were true… it’s absolutely plausible.
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But does it fly like a banana?
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A nice option is an amaro bottle (or similar bottle) with tinted glass and a nice label, tap a few holes in the lid and fill with cider vinegar as you did. I’ve done the bowl approach and it always feels conspicuous while the bottle blends in nicely with other kitchen counter items.
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We don’t entertain much during the harvest because few guests really want to be put to work, even if they offer. Coincides with fruit fly season, so we don’t need to disguise the Bowl of Death. 
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I did it just for my own benefit. I keep my counters pretty sparse, so a bowl just sitting out bugged me. The bottle looks nice and blends in the corner with a few other counter items. But of course, to each their own.
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