Parasites are organisms that live in or on a host organism and obtain nutrients at the host’s expense, forming a specialized ecological and evolutionary interaction characterized by dependence and often high host specificity. They encompass diverse taxa, including protozoa, helminths, arthropods, fungi, and some plants, and exhibit complex life cycles that may involve multiple hosts and vectors. Research topics on parasites address host–parasite coevolution, immune evasion strategies, transmission dynamics, virulence evolution, and the population genetics and genomics of parasite species, as well as their roles in ecosystems, disease emergence, and the modulation of host physiology and behavior.
The Easter holidays are over and many people have once again experienced firsthand how easily sweets can be converted into fat. Parasitic wasps are also capable of converting sugar into fat—a capability that long was thought ...
Evolution
Apr 15, 2026
0
17
Parasites are a major global health problem, underlying many human diseases worldwide. For example, Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for malaria, plays a well-established role; however, its complex life cycle ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 14, 2026
0
9
Southern California is home to a flying black-and-yellow treasure. While commercial honeybee hives nationwide are collapsing under attack from deadly parasites, a unique hybrid bee found only in this part of the state has ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 10, 2026
0
290
New evidence suggests that a disease-causing tapeworm that has been spreading across the United States and Canada has arrived in the Pacific Northwest. The tapeworm, called Echinococcus multilocularis, lives as a parasite ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 6, 2026
1
955
For decades, scientists have observed a clear pattern across the natural world: biodiversity tends to be higher near the equator and lower toward the poles. Known as the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG), this trend holds ...
Evolution
Mar 31, 2026
0
10
A flesh-eating parasitic fly has spread north through Mexico to within a few hundred miles of the U.S. southern border. The New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) lays its eggs in open wounds and in the orifices of ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 30, 2026
0
13
To survive in the human bloodstream, the African trypanosome parasite wears a "cloak" made of proteins known as a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). The study, published in Nature Microbiology, identifies the protein that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 30, 2026
0
240
Parks are vital public spaces. This is especially true if you're a parent with energetic children, or an office worker searching for a peaceful lunch spot.
Ecology
Mar 29, 2026
0
16
The pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) is the most devastating parasite of pine forests across Eurasia. To combat the pinewood nematode, European regulation requires that Member States clear-cut all susceptible ...
Ecology
Mar 18, 2026
0
11
An antibiotic treatment used in many parts of the Caribbean and on Florida's Coral Reef to combat stony coral tissue loss disease does not exhibit negative side effects, scientists at Nova Southeastern University, in collaboration ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 17, 2026
0
7
