From Thought and awe
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| Cover photo by Erich G. Vallery, USDA Forest Service – SRS-4552, Bugwood.org |
by Alex Taylor, a University of Michigan graduate student in ecology and evolutionary biology
Parasites are a beautiful nightmare.
The many lineages of parasites have evolved all sorts of twisted, macabre ways of making a living off their host. Some are content to live on our skin and feed off sweat and dead skin, while others must burrow deep inside to get their vittles. Some take up residence in our guts or veins and live off the easy food supply streaming by. The threat of invasion by a grotesque and alien being is darkly captivating, and has inspired books, museums, art exhibitions, and poetry, such as this little piece from 1733 by Jonathan Swift:
So, naturalists observe, a flea
Hath smaller fleas that on him prey;
And these have smaller still to bite ’em;
And so proceed ad infinitum.
Our disgust at parasites is primal and deeply ingrained in our psyches. Parasites are an ancient threat that have been plaguing our ancestors from time immemorial. Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite. These little beasts have a way of worming into our minds.