“Xenophobic propaganda can take another sinister form. Its progenitor is that favorite taunt of the playground bully: “You’ve got cooties.” Grown-up bullies are notorious for fomenting hatred by branding the target of their aggression—usually a vulnerable minority—a parasite or other… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Save for the ancient Egyptians, he found, virtually no one kept cats as pets until the latter part of the 1700s. The first people… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Vast populations in parasitic hot zones are without hospitals, doctors, drugs, or surgical equipment. Meanwhile, often directed at the very same underserved regions, wealthy… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Putting this all together, Moore and Reiber predicted that the germ would prod people to seek out the company of others early in the infection, before it had blown its cover and triggered a counterattack by defense cells. Once they’d formulated a hypothesis, they decided it would be wise to conduct a pilot trial to see if the idea had… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share
“By enlisting the assistance of a team of neuroimmunologists, however, Schaller succeeded in conducting one of the few studies to address the question. As… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“After being shown pictures of people coughing, cartoonish germs sprouting from a sponge, and similar infection-evoking images, women—the sex most vulnerable to STDs—endorsed more… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“We were seated in a sparkling new building on the UBC campus with austere modern lines and sleek, minimalist décor—about as sterile a setting… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“What would happen if the parasites were removed from this picture? Would there be fewer birds in the sky, more fish in the sea?… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Xenophobic propaganda can take another sinister form. Its progenitor is that favorite taunt of the playground bully: “You’ve got cooties.” Grown-up bullies are notorious… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Good looks, for example, are denoted by symmetrical features—a sign that early life development was not disrupted by infection—and skin that shows no trace… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“When subjects in one of Pizarro’s studies were shown a sign recommending the use of hand wipes, he reported, they were harsher in their… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Consumers even avoid buying items placed near a product with icky connotations. Grocery shoppers, for instance, have been shown to be repelled by foods—including… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Nonetheless, studies by Schaller and other researchers indicate that people who chronically worry about disease are especially prone to antipathy toward those whose appearances… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
