Parasites Lost: The Journey from Woeful Worms to Helpful Monsters

Parasites Lost: The Journey from Woeful Worms to Helpful Monsters

Date

Spring 3-29-2014

Author Bio(s)

Christopher Blanar, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at NSU’s Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. His research straddles the fields of parasitology, disease ecology, and environmental biology, exploring the extent to which ecological processes and environmental degradation affect parasitism in aquatic animals. He also studies the introduction of pathogenic parasites to South Florida fishes via the imported ornamental fish trade, and how parasites might determine whether introduced species become invasive. Blanar is part of a growing number of biologists encouraging us to view parasites as necessary and ecologically valuable contributors to biodiversity and ecosystem stability, rather than as mere agents of disease.

Talk Description

People generally view parasites with horror and disgust, as mere agents of suffering and disease—but recent discoveries are changing that. Biologists are finding that parasites maintain biodiversity and drive ecological processes. Doctors are discovering that a world without parasites can be surprisingly unhealthy. Perhaps it is time to give these much-maligned creatures an image makeover?

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Parasites Lost: The Journey from Woeful Worms to Helpful Monsters

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