--- title: "A Brain Parasite Is Making Wolves Into Pack Leaders, Scientists Say" description: "It seems that grey wolves are the latest victims of toxoplasmosis — but in their case, the effects of the brain worm are kind of, well, based." date: "2022-12-01" modified: "2022-12-01" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/grey-wolves-toxoplasmosis" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Parasites" - "Pathogens" tags: - "the digest" - "toxoplasma gondii" - "toxoplasmosis" - "wolves" --- # A Brain Parasite Is Making Wolves Into Pack Leaders, Scientists Say ![It seems that grey wolves are the latest victims of toxoplasmosis — but in their case, the effects of the brain worm are kind of, well, based.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Parasitic Relationship It seems that grey wolves are yet more victims of the strange and poorly-understood *toxoplasma gondii* parasite — but in their case, the effects of this brain worm seem to be driving the wolves toward leadership roles. A [new study]() in the journal *Communications Biology* details how an analysis of 27 years of data found that grey wolves in Yellowstone National Park that were infected with the *T. gondii* parasite were, like most animals who get the associated toxoplasmosis disease, driven toward risk-taking behaviors. While that often plays out poorly in other animals — including humans, who can [catch toxoplasmosis]() from cat crap, [some scientists say]() — the infected canids surveyed by the Yellowstone Wolf Project for the study appeared to be up to *46 times more likely* to become pack leaders in the wake of infection. This may be because *T. gondii* has been shown [in other mammals]() — including, in [humans in particular]() — to increase testosterone levels, the research notes. ## Cat Carrier The wolves infected with the parasite were also, per the study, 11 times more likely to venture into new territory than their uninfected counterparts — a macho move if there ever was one, as this dangerous behavior tends to quite literally expand the pack's turf. "We assume that there might be some sort of link between boldness caused from \[*T. gondii*\] and being more willing to leave your home range and go to another wolf’s territory and possibly be killed," YWP biologist Connor Meyer [told *CNN* in an interview]() about the findings. While the researchers led by the Meyer and his fellow YWP biologist Kira Cassidy don't have a definitive origin story for the *T. gondii* in the grey wolves from the study, they've hazarded a guess: that they could have gotten it from the parasite-carrying cougars with which they share Yellowstone. We'll have to see how future research plays out, but the research could open up new avenues of interest in the growing *toxoplasmosis* research cottage industry — especially, perhaps, once men find out that it may increase their T levels. **More on toxoplasmosis:** [*It's Surprisingly Likely That You Have a Nasty Parasite in Your Eyeball*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()