Comments
Tom • July 22, 2024 7:23 AM
What’s wild is that both times a bird goes for the spider, the snake misses its bite and the bird says, “Hmmm, a snake just tried to bite me here, I’ll run away once I’ve got this spider…”
Noone • July 22, 2024 7:28 AM
no link to the video?
Clive Robinson • July 22, 2024 10:58 AM
It’s not just snakes that do this.
Most know of “angler fish” that have a proboscis that looks like a small fish etc that hangs in front of it’s mouth as a lure.
There are quite a few other marine creatures that do other sorts of lures.
But I guess the one I find most fascinating is the “Green-banded broodsac” Leucochloridium paradoxum. A parasite that starts a life cycle in bird poop, ends up in a snail eats into it and works up the nervous system into the snails eye stalk where it grows and then triggers the snails brain to climb up high so the pulsating eye stalk looks like a moving caterpillar a bird is attracted and eats it and the life cycle goes around.
https://www.popsci.com/science/mind-controlling-zombie-parasites-are-real/
https://www.popsci.com/rat-lungworm-hawaii-prevention/
The bit I find fascinating is how it turns the snail into a zombie slave to do it’s bidding. If the bird only gets the eye stalk not the whole snail, then the snail returns to normal and grows a new eye stalk.
Recent news however suggests that humans are not immune to brain infesting parasites that are physically large say 8cm long…
Whilst it has been long known that certain diseases like syphilis can trigger the bodies autoimmune system and produce symptoms of mental degeneration whilst the disease can be cured the damage is permanent and mostly does not confer any advantage to the parasite.
But we also know of small blood bourn and food carried parasites and similar that target the central nervous system including the brain,
https://www.verywellhealth.com/parasitic-infections-of-the-central-nervous-system-2488670
But fairly recently this hit the news,
https://www.popsci.com/health/roundworm-parasite-human-brain/
A “first of a kind” that was getting published in a scientific journal.
I guess having a near 8cm long worm kicking around in your brain would make you depressed at the very least.
Oh and the moral,
“Not all greens are good for you!”
Daniel Popescu • July 22, 2024 12:57 PM
Nice one Bruce, thanks. I wonder if an arachnid of the same species as that lure tip of the tail would be atracted to it.
Anonymous • July 22, 2024 10:31 PM
“ The resemblances that evolve in mimicry can be visual, acoustic, chemical, tactile, or electric, or combinations of these sensory modalities”
Clive Robinson • July 23, 2024 12:03 PM
@ Bruce, ALL,
Re : Capacitor mimics a push button.
As most readers will be aware there has been research done on faking pushes on capacitor sensors on mobile phones to break security.
Well consider in general capacitor sensors unlike mechanical switches do not require any mechanical force to operate them. In fact you can just put a conductive medium just above them to trigger the sensor.
So what, some would say but security is another form of safety.
Imagine what would happen in a vehicle if a capacitive sensor is “accidently or otherwise triggered” against the drivers intentions/wishes?
Well it appears you don’t have to imagine, just read a few vehicle accident reports…
Because it’s apparently already happening,
I would expect more of this sort of thing to occur in the near future untill the message gets through to insurance companies and the public.
ResearcherZero • July 26, 2024 4:37 AM
Hidden in plain sight.
‘https://www.reading.ac.uk/news/2024/Research-News/New-El-Nino-discovered-south-of-equator
Subscribe to comments on this entry
Leave a comment
Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.
Ismar • July 22, 2024 7:21 AM
This one has a video of the actual snake in action
https://kottke.org/19/01/the-lure-of-the-spider-tailed-horned-viper