Bold storytelling, carefully curated for curious minds.
Tag library
Every feature, interview, and quick read we've ever tagged with #mindcontrol in one place.
Horsehair worms have no brain, mouth, or digestive system—yet they can hijack cricket brains using stolen genes. This biological horror story reveals nature's most disturbing mind-control technique that sounds like science fiction but is terrifyingly real.
Horsehair worms can grow six feet long inside crickets, mind-control their hosts to seek water, and survive being eaten twice. This disturbing parasite might be living in your backyard pool right now.
Horsehair worms hijack cricket brains, forcing them to commit suicide by drowning. This mind-control parasite has mastered evolution's most disturbing heist—and it's probably living in your backyard right now.
In 2006, scientists observed a horsehair worm do the impossible—survive being eaten twice while manipulating its host's brain. This disturbing parasite has been perfecting mind control for 100 million years, and it might be living in your backyard.
Horsehair worms hijack cricket brains, force them to drown, and then do the unthinkable—survive being eaten by fish. This mind-control parasite might be closer to your home than you think, and its survival strategy breaks all the rules of biology.