The Art of Living Together - How Parasites Shape Our World (Part 2 Q&A)

In everyday terms, parasites make their living off other unsuspecting organisms. Traditionally researchers, veterinarians and medical doctors have focused on the disease aspects of parasitism. These aspects are certainly not trivial and are deserving of the attention (e.g., malaria). In the last decade, it has been observed that there are much more subtle and far reaching effects of parasitism that have real consequences. There are numerous examples of parasites taking control of their hosts and making them do very strange things. Two very surprising examples will illustrate this phenomenon. Speakers: Doug Colwell Doug Colwell is a Principal Research Scientist at the Lethbridge Research Centre. He has a B.Sc. from the University of Lethbridge, a M.Sc. from the University of Alberta and a Ph.D. from the University of Guelph. Colwell is an adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Lethbridge and in the Department of Production Animal Health at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Doug’s research focuses on the production aspects of parasitism in livestock, but his collaborations span the vast arena of parasitology from parasite manipulation of neurochemicals in mice to the influence of parasitic infection on populations of howler monkeys in Panama.