Alpha Schmalpha, It Could Be Parasites!
From the nature study: Researchers looked at 256 blood samples from the 229 wolves that had their life histories and social status recorded. They found that T.Gondii infected wolves were 11 times more likely than uninfected ones to start a new pack, and 46 times more likely to become pack leaders, often the only males
in the pack that breed.
Now that’s ALPHA, baby.
So.... You might ask, How About Alpha Male People?
Up to one-fifth of humans might be chronically infected with T. Gondii.
ONE FIFTH! [Maybe more. The info keeps rolling in.]
From the report: Physical and behavioral changes have been found with infected human males: testosterone and dopamine production is increased and more risks are taken.
(In another mammal, rats, T.Gondii infection generally correlates with decreased fear of cats and increased exploratory behaviour. Just saying.)
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| You gotta problem with that? |
Generally speaking, human Alpha Males are the top dogs in most societies.
One typical (glowing) description:
"An alpha male ranks at the top of the socio-sexual hierarchy. He is the most desirable of all men having greater
access to money, power, status, and mates. The alpha is most attractive and often tagged as a “real man”."
Bosses, leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, doctors-lawyers-corporate-chiefs, explorers, plutocrats, cult leaders, dictators... and on and on. They are the cutting edge.
SOOoo... Do most Alphas have cysts full of Toxoplasma gondii in their brains and muscles? It's close to universal among Alpha male wolves.
Can a Beta male up his odds of going Alpha by intentionally contracting toxoplasmosis, suffering through the disease while seeding his brain and muscles with T.Gondii in wee cysts?
It was "just a wild fauna research project"
Two wildlife ecologists at the University of Montana in Missoula, Connor Meyer and Kira Cassidy did this fascinating research on the Wolves of Yellowstone. They don't jump to any conclusion about humans, being cautious scientists and all, but in the world of wolves, they DO see their findings as... in their words:
“We got that result and we just open-mouth stared at each other,” Meyer says. “This is way bigger than we thought it would be.” The work is published today in Communications Biology.
MY RECOMMENDATION (I'm sure you were breathlessly waiting.)
1. Pick a consensus list of 100 Alpha Male humans.
2. Give them P.Gondii antibody tests.
3. Publish the Results.
4. Stand back.
LAST QUESTION
Why did "The Daily Beast" report this story this way?
A Mind-Controlling Parasite
Is Making Yellowstone Wolves
Foolhardy
Which Alpha male do you suppose "The Daily Beast" was thinking of?
UPDATE! UPDATE! (Subtle plug for the next post)
Comments
Since there have been Alpha males all through recorded history, I assume they were around pre-history as well. Maybe it's only since we "domesticated" cats, as they are a main carrier of T.gondii. Society's evolution must have been seriously impacted by this new kind of man... particularly the "hyper Alphas," like Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Atilla et al, and the huge collection of kings, emperors, and other autocrats who "rose to the top" with their Alpha brains driving them. Obviously society adapted. War became a defining behavior of the species, and we are living in the resulting society.
If some serious scientists pursue this idea, I hope they can confirm with some ancient DNA testing to see when humans first contracted toxoplasmosis, confirming the T.gondii parasite was around.
If the timing of cat domestication and the end of the neanderthals overlap (it's the cat domestication time that is unsettled), perhaps the first hyper-Alpha H. Sapiens led the battles of Neanderthal extermination.
Since there have been Alpha males all through recorded history, I assume they were around pre-history as well. Maybe it's only since we "domesticated" cats, as they are a main carrier of T.gondii. Society's evolution must have been seriously impacted by this new kind of man... particularly the "hyper Alphas," like Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Atilla et al, and the huge collection of kings, emperors, and other autocrats who "rose to the top" with their Alpha brains driving them. Obviously society adapted. War became a defining behavior of the species, and we are living in the resulting society.
If some serious scientists pursue this idea, I hope they can confirm with some ancient DNA testing to see when humans first contracted toxoplasmosis, confirming the T.gondii parasite was around.
If the timing of cat domestication and the end of the neanderthals overlap (it's the cat domestication time that is unsettled), perhaps the first hyper-Alpha H. Sapiens led the battles of Neanderthal extermination.