Hi, we're here from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes.

I'm Cody Gough.

And I'm Ashley Hamer.

Today you learn about a parasite that manipulates mice to get into cats,

how the trial by fire was a surprisingly accurate test of guilt, and a trick for figuring

out how to spend your money that's easier than budgeting.

Let's budget some curiosity.

A team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison just made a breakthrough in researching one of the most infamous parasites out there.

I'm talking about Toxoplasma Gondi I, or Toxo for short.

It infects as many as 4 and 10 people in the US and the UK and even more than that in some other parts of the world.

And it can survive in a variety of animals, most importantly, cats, rats, and mice.

You may have heard about Toxo's mind control abilities in the context of humans.

The parasite is rumored to cause impulsive behavior and has even been linked to schizophrenia and

suicide. But a recent study found little evidence to suggest that

toxoplasmosis has any effect on personality traits or rates of mental

illness. This protozoan parasite definitely can alter the behavior of mice and rats, though.

In fact, doing so is essential to its survival.

Toxo can only reproduce in the intestines of cats, so its top priority is to guide its host into a

feline trap. Toxo does this to mice by infecting the rodent's brain and altering normal

activity in the limbic system.

The limbic system is home to the amygdala, which is the part of your brain that controls fear

and aggression, as well as other emotions.

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