Science Finds Evidence Of "Zombifying" Parasites

A parasite worms its way into a host, hijacks its nervous system and begins to control their behavior. Sounds like T.V. or the movies, but scientists have long known that parasites can take over and manipulate invertebrate and some vertebrate hosts. We talk with Dr. Shelley Adamo of Dalhousie University about how parasites may be turning hosts into zombies.

Also this hour: longtime NPR health policy correspondent and current University of Washington artist-in-residence Joanne Silberner stops by to talk about her reporting on Seattle's role in fighting cancer in the developing world, we listen back to a conversation with novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (“The Thing Around Your Neck”), Katy Sewall shares a holiday story of a personified cow named Henrietta, and we get a weekend weather forecast from Nick Bond.