I find strange things and post them here - feel free to join in

[acespicoli]

Behavior-altering parasite - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Common Parasite Could Manipulate Our Behavior

Toxoplasma gondii, an insidious and common parasite spread by cats, controls its rodent host’s brain—and may be manipulating our own behavior as well

www.scientificamerican.com

Induction of changes in human behaviour by the parasitic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii - PubMed

Toxoplasma gondii, the coccidian parasite, is known to induce changes in the behaviour of its intermediate hosts. The high prevalence of this parasite in the human population (20-80%) offers the opportunity of studying the influence of the parasite on human behaviour by screening of a normal...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[acespicoli]

How to Enrich My Cats Life: 14 Vet-Reviewed Ways to Make a Difference - Catster

From simple gestures to impactful changes, learn how to make a positive difference in the life of your favourite feline friends.

www.catster.com

People have this picture in their head of a woman running around ragged in a pee-stinking home with a bathrob on and curlers in her hair, with cats weaving in and out of her ankles and climbing up her sagging pantyhouse. The visual is awesome (I wish I could draw!), but probably not accurate 99 percent of the time.

I have two cats at home and I’m single, and while they might not be helping (one look at my Facebook timeline and it’s safe to assume that any of my friends who aren’t huge animal lovers have probably “hidden” me), I really don’t think it’s the cats that are keeping the guys from beating down my door.

You know what I think? I think they’re intimidated. Because I’m an ambitious, strong person who knows what I like, what I want and what makes me happy. I’m cute, smart and funny. I have a good job with an office and a fancy-schmancy title. And my world revolves around my cats. So if that makes me crazy, sign me up for the loony bin … but only if I can bring Pimp and Moo.

 

[buzzmobile]

 

[acespicoli]

Finally, in a disturbing finding, researchers reported that you may even become infected with T. gondii oocysts by touching the keypad of an ATM.

Stanley Medical Research Institute | Transmission of T. gondii

www.stanleyresearch.org

Reports of 30-80% of humans currently infected
There is also evidence that T. gondii can be sexually transmitted in humans.

Alot of bizzare info in that article... cant unread it CAUTION

 

[exoticrobotic]

Didnt read it but i always use knuckles when touching any dirty areas

 

[acespicoli]

Schizophrenics aren't the only ones who see the concave face — people who are drunk or high can also 'beat' the illusion. A similar disconnect between what the brain sees and what it expects to see may be occurring during these drug-induced states.

Schizophrenic Brains Not Fooled by Optical Illusion

Schizophrenia sufferers aren’t fooled by an optical illusion known as the “hollow mask” that the rest of us fall for because connections between the sensory and conceptual areas of their brains might be on the fritz. In the hollow mask illusion, viewers perceive a concave face (like the back...

www.wired.com

Note that T. gondii antigen is also present within the cytosol of the host neurons. Cysts can contain dopamine (or its immediate precursor),

3D Dragon Illusion

Print, Cut, Fold and assemble your very own Thinky the dragon. Close one eye and slowly move around the room. Isn’t it amazing how Thinky follows you wherever you go?Submitted by: ThinkFunTime Requ…

www.gathering4gardner.org

https://www.richardgregory.org/papers/knowl_illusion/knowledge-in-perception.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/@grandillusions

 

[armedoldhippy]

how many cats equal a "crazy cat lady?" depends on the size of your house in part, and your ability to keep litter boxes cleaned out. but on average, i'd say anything over three....unless one just had kittens and you haven't farmed them out yet.

 

[acespicoli]

Egypt cat mummies discovered in ancient tombs

Archaeologists reveal mummified cats and scarab beetles found in recently discovered tombs near Cairo.

www.bbc.com

As if there wasn’t enough evidence to show that ancient Egyptians are history’s most enthusiastic cat lovers, a feline frenzy was found inside a 4,500-year-old tomb recently discovered in the Saqqara necropolis on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities announced on Saturday.


Inside the tomb, archaeologists found dozens of mummified cats, 100 gilded wooden cat statues, and a bronze statue representing the goddess of cats, Bastet

Bastet - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Bastet was also depicted as the goddess of protection against contagious diseases and evil spirits.

Bastet in her late form of a cat-headed woman (rather than a lioness) holding an ankh and sistrum
Its name in the ancient Egyptian language was sekhem (sḫm) or sesheshet (sššt) because of the sound it made when it rattled.

Sistrum - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Ankh - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[acespicoli]

Modern cases​

To date, there is only one documented case of a candiru entering a human urethra, which took place in Itacoatiara, Brazil, in 1997.[14][15] In this incident, the victim (a 23-year-old man known only as "F.B.C.") claimed a candiru "jumped" from the water into his urethra as he urinated while thigh-deep in a river.[16] After traveling to Manaus on October 28, 1997, the victim underwent a two-hour urological surgery by Dr. Anoar Samad to remove the fish from his body.[15]

In 1999, American marine biologist Stephen Spotte traveled to Brazil to investigate this particular incident in detail. He recounts the events of his investigation in his book Candiru: Life and Legend of the Bloodsucking Catfishes.[17] Spotte met Dr. Samad in person and interviewed him at his practice and home. Samad gave him photos, the original VHS tape of the cystoscopy procedure, and the actual fish's body preserved in formalin as his donation to the INPA.[18] Spotte and his colleague Paulo Petry took these materials and examined them at the INPA, comparing them with Samad's formal paper. While Spotte did not overtly express any conclusions as to the veracity of the incident, he did remark on several observations that were suspicious about the claims of the patient and/or Samad himself.

Candiru

The Candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa) is a species of parasitic catfish that lives in the Amazon Basin in South America. The Candiru appears to live inside some Amazonian fishes' gills. In River Monsters, it appeared in Season 1 Episode 6 "Amazon Flesh Eaters". In this episode, Jeremy investigated...

river-monsters.fandom.com

Candiru (fish) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa), also known as cañero, toothpick fish, or vampire fish, is a species of parasitic freshwater catfish in the family Trichomycteridae native to the Amazon Basin where it is found in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

A candiru taking blood from the gills of a fish host.

 

[Jellyfish]

Swimming in the Amazon is now officially OFF my bucket list.

 

[acespicoli]

 

[armedoldhippy]

Swimming in the Amazon is now officially OFF my bucket list.

it never was on mine. you do know that the river is also inhabited by aggressive bull sharks (documented man-eaters), which do quite well in fresh water ? they have been found in golf course water traps before, put there by fishermen with an "unusual" sense of humor...

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

View attachment 18867675 View attachment 18867674

A similar sign was at the Alice Springs hotel I stayed in in the 1990's during a holiday to the Northern Territory.

 

[buzzmobile]

This is the version I remember.

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

My 'Strange Thing' - is myself - Hello Everyone!

 

[tobedetermined]

A happy man and a happy plant in the sunshine. Enjoy Gypsy!

 

[buzzmobile]

My 'Strange Thing' - is myself - Hello Everyone!

 

[goingrey]

 

[trichrider]

 

[trichrider]