It’s Halloween season, the liminal period when the general public seems to have a greater tolerance for stomach-churning content, so let’s talk about parasites, perhaps the most disgusting — and ...

The two species of African rhinoceros are conservation icons. Large, charismatic, and vitally important for their ecosystems, to lose either species would be a devastating blow. But what of their ...

Scientists have found examples across the animal kingdom that show how parasites manipulate their hosts' behavior. In a bid to reach maturity and breed, they often lead their hosts to experience ...

Ancient Cambrian fossils have preserved the oldest known example of parasites in action. More than 500 million years ago in what is now southern China, tubelike parasites clung to the shells of tiny ...

For decades, scientists have observed a clear pattern across the natural world: biodiversity tends to be higher near the equator and lower toward the poles. Known as the latitudinal diversity gradient ...

The COVID-19 outbreak has put into stark relief the disruption parasites can cause, both in human society and ecosystems. Researchers have long sought to better understand the evolutionary importance ...

Learn more about how parasites drive ecosystems, and see images and parasite-inspired anime characters in a SciFri SciArts article! The idea of a parasite—an organism that needs a host organism—has ...

Pervasive parasitic infections reduce herbivory rates and can therefore trigger trophic cascades that impact plant communities, according to new research. This work helps fill a recognized knowledge ...