Before the links, just a quick reminder about comments. I have been getting many emails wondering why comments are not showing up. Some of these have been actual issues, but most of them are just due to the moderation process. Before the comments show up on the post, I read them over and enter them into my gradebook. I try to do this twice a day (early morning and late night), but sometimes I am not able to get on right away. So if your comment does not show up right away, give it 24 hours before sending me an email. If i am going to be away for a few days, I will try let you guys know first. Thanks. Onto the posts:
Parasitic Wasp Employs Zombie Ladybug to Guard Cocoon
Parasites are so cool. Two weeks ago, there was a link to a story about how they are believed to be one of the driving forces behind the evolution of sexual reproduction. This week, zombies. Lots of good stuff mentioned in this post: evolution of bees, co-evolution, evolution of the stinger. I may try to mention parasites everyday this year in class.
How Advertising Manipulates Your Choices and Spending Habits (And What to do About it)
Not a biology-related post, but I still thought this was interesting, and also somewhat important. The author sort of lost me with the last two paragraphs, about how a world without ads would be the end of Western Civilization as We Know It. But i will say that I have gotten so used to Ad Block Plus on my browser, that when I am forced to use a computer without it, it is jarring to see all the ads. So if you don't have ABP installed, get it today (www.adblockplus.org).
Anyway, back to the post. Lots of great points here, and I love the "reference lifestyles" concept. And though I never watched Friends, I seem to recall they explained that huge apartment by saying it was rent-controlled from someone's grandmother or something. Any Friends fans out there back me up on this?
I feel that the most important message from this is to simply THINK. All. The. Time. Whether the purchase is a $35,000 car, or a $1.99 smartphone app (I hate Angry Birds for stealing my life), you should always ask yourself about why you are spending money on that particular item. As the author states in the post: intrinsic v. extrinsic motivation.
The ability to critically think and use your brain will be another running theme throughout class next year.
51 comments:
Hatching inside of the belly of the host - Gross!! Poor ladybug :(.
I've heard of parasites being able to control the minds of other species from a similar article. It explained that a spider's mind is taken over by on sting of a parasite. The wasp deposits its larvae inside the spider's body, along with a new blueprint (so instead of building its own web, it builds a silk cocoon, which becomes a home for the parasite.
When the silk sack is done, the larvae kill the spider (unlike the ladybug, who survived) and reside in the safe, secluded cocoon.
What bothers me most about this idea of parasite mind control is the fear that humans might also be impacted. What if ,eventually, parasites are evolved enough to control our minds?! Not anytime soon, but in the distant future I think it is a possibility. Scary thought!
Great second article. As a society, we fail to realize the impact of advertising on our choices. We assume that we can tune them out or look away.
We expect advertisements to just tell us the properties of a product, which they did back in the day. But as this article explains, they transfer our feelings from one set of items to another (the product) by affective conditioning.
The most powerful effect of advertising is just to create a good feeling about a product by surrounding it with other things that you like. It is important to realize that affective conditioning is most effective when you don't realize that it is happening (and we usually don't).
It seems stupid that we would allow such manipulative tactics to influence our minds, 'forcing' us to buy something. But the reality is that it is hard for us to feel confident that we have all of the objective facts about anything. The feelings an advertisement generates are often a good marker os what will likely turn out well and be enjoyable.
This article somewhat ties into the first article in regards to mind control. We allow advertisers to have access to our mental world, just as the parasites control the minds of the hosts (to a much more horrific extent). Advertisers have paid for the opportunity to slip information to us and as terrible as it sounds, that information ultimately affects the way we make choices, whether we know it or not.
And thanks for that adblocking link, Dr. H - definitely installing that right now. :)
The parasitic world of bugs never fails to freak me out. However, I am more accepting of the idea now that I realize that wasps don’t think twice before they plant their offspring into an unsuspecting ladybug- their incapacity to decide on the ethics of finding a host for their offspring ultimately leads to their success in their world of "intricate brutality." What I got from Mr. Lamb was that the Dinocampus coccinellae was not only able successfully use a host to hatch, but they also possessed the ability to hijack it’s hosts system so it could develop into a fully grown wasp. I never thought that parasites could go as far as mind control! On an end note, this article reminds me of something else I saw a while ago that was featured yahoo about the parasitic fungi, Ophiocordyceps which took control of ants and sprouted out of their dead bodies.
I have heard about the evils of advertisements for a while now. As Dachis states, we see advertisements virtually everywhere we turn and although I like to think that they’re just annoying and therefore don’t have an effect on me, I am beginning to see how they may be altering some decision making that I do when I am out shopping. By appealing to our emotional side, advertisements are more likely to be effective in getting us to buy their products. Even TV shows are culprits of pitching to their viewers a lifestyle that is completely out of reach- which can lead to horrible debt. Once we fall victim to our emotions, we tend to abandon our logical side in decision making; has anyone ever seen that BC SPCA stop animal cruelty commercial? However, as Lamb states, asking ourselves whether a purchase is for us or to impress others is a good first step in figuring out if we actually need a product or not. Buying a product for the latter reason is not only dangerous for one’s finances, but also detrimental because it clouds one’s logic with desire for something that he or she may not need at all.
For the first article, I found it so, odd how that is even possible. I never had an interest in wasps so I just thought that they just went from flower to flower pollinating them. I never thought that wasps could be carnivorous. It just is so interesting that not only can the wasp hatch its egg inside of the host but then force the host to watch over the young parasite until it if fully grown. This just shows how evolution has grown over time. Also, I must give credit to the wasps being able to turn the host into "zombies." Who knows what parasites will evolve to next; maybe they will take over and turn us into zombies.
Last year I took marketing and the number one rule was that advertising and marketing are everywhere. Everywhere you go, whether it is a billboard, commercial, or a pop-up ad, you cannot escape the horror of advertisements. We all fall into the trap of purchasing something we do not need and is overly priced. However, we ask ourselves how we can avoid this mind control. As the second article explains, we rarely stop and think of the consequences of buying a certain product that is advertised. But, how can we train ourselves to stop and think. Well, it's hard to since everything around us is moving so quickly no one knows how to be patient and take a step back to look at the big picture. It's so interesting how ads get into our heads even if we do not want them to. This topic can be discussed for hours
Ads manipulate us to buy their product by attacking our emotions, as stated in the article. For example, the Google commercial did just that. As i watched it I felt good and it didn't make me think about the negative aspects of the product. So, advertising is all around us controlling our minds and forcing us to act now and skip thinking about it. Maybe it is really those darn wasps controlling our minds, who knows?
The first article was quite interesting and even a bit shocking. I've read countless novels and watched tons of movies and even played some video games where one person controls the mind of another. For example, in the storyline of Call of Duty Black Ops, the bad guy places a chip in the main characters head which basically forces him to do some awful things such as attempt to kill JFK. I find that in a way this ladybug and wasp scenario is quite similar. Rather than waste it's own time caring for it's young, the wasp uses the ladybug as a zombie-slave to make sure the larvae survives. What amazes me is that the ladybug survives after that! I feel that if wasps were as intelligent as humans we'd all be doomed.
The second article was far more interesting to me as I love learning about human behavior. Not to mention I wish to pursue a career somewhere in business in the future. Ads have in fact taken over our lives. Each ad is like it's own conscience speaking to us, telling us what to do. It's like in cartoons when the character is faced with a tough decision and there's an angel on one side and the devil on another side. Both of them are telling the character to do what they want. Ads are sort of like that except....there's millions of them. And they are quite powerful too. In scenarios such as high school or middle school, when two or three people have one gadget or wear a certain type of clothes or whatever, everyone else sees it. Then, everyone else wants it. It's sort of like the domino effect. Take the north face jacket for example (even I have one). How often do you see a commercial or an ad to be one of those? Never. Yet thousands of people have them all across the school. During the cold seasons, all you see is an abundance of north face jackets and the kids in our school start looking like a flock of geese. It's true that Ads have a powerful impact on people but the most powerful tools of businesses are not those ads but the customers themselves.
Where do I begin? Ever since I watched a special on the discovery channel about parasites I’ve been a bit terrified by them. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps. That doesn’t mean I don’t find them interesting, I just can’t stand knowing that there may be a foreign creature living inside of me. When reading the article I couldn’t help but to feel bad for the poor little lady bug having a wasp live inside her. I know wasps and bees are needed for plants to blossom and reproduce and such, but they’re just so annoying. Whenever I see a wasp or just hear that distinctive buzzing I can’t help it. Nobody wants to be stung by a wasp ever. Now going back to the lady bug, it had a living wasp inside of it. That blows my mind, but that’s not even the worst part, the lady bug id forced to treat this parasitic wasp as a child and then later return back to being a normal lady bug. I hated wasps before I read this article but now I hate them even more.
I think that advertising only works become we want to believe that we are rich. Everyone wants to be richer then there neighbors and the way to show that you are richer is by having better things. Advertising plays with people’s minds and basically tells them that if you have this item your life will be better, this however isn’t usually not the case. Most of the time the item being advertises isn’t a necessity. I believe that this is a real problem since I learned that buying more that you can afford lead to the great depression and now this recession. Commercials focus on certain people, and that’s what you need to watch out for, if it sounds too good to be true it’s probably not true. No matter what you do there is very little ways to avoid advertisement since its everyone the only thing you can do to prevent it from getting to you is to try and make sure you know what you need and what you want and creat I fine line between those two groups and dont buy something you want just what you need,
1st Article:
This article was very interesting to read. Insects are very fascinating and complex creatures. I have heard about something like this where a wasp or some other kind of insect injects a live host with its larvae. The larvae then grow and soon burst out of the host insect, leaving it dead or in a macabre condition. But I have never heard of larvae actually having control over the host insect. Thats amazing how the host is reprogrammed to protect the babies. If the mother wasp injected its larvae into a strong insect, then those babies would have no problem with growing into adults.
2nd Article:
Advertisements that have an impact on me are ones that evoke sympathy or threaten you with consequences that are inherent if the product is not purchased. Specifically, the commercials with the abused animals have an impact on me. It makes me want to donate a lot of money to the cause and help the abused animals. These types of ads manipulate you and elicit emotions. Usually the solution would be to change the channel while the commerical is on, but the commercial stick with you and that feeling stays inside of you. Commercials that threaten you with possible consequences whether you buy their product or not have an impact on people as well. People are urged to buy it and make their lives easier. Then the commercial goes on about what would happen if you didn't buy the product. Advertising does have manipulative properties, whether we know it or not. I agree with the article.
The first article was extremely interesting but also very disturbing. To think that a wasp could hatch from a ladybug is something I would have never though was possible. I was also amazed that the host doesn’t die afterward, that it is forced to look after the new born parasite. In addition to wasps taking over spider and ladybug bodies, it is possible for them to take over caterpillars as well. They can hatch up to 80 eggs at a time and afterwards the larva feed on the caterpillar’s bodily fluids.
The second article really made me think about all the things that people get sucked into buying when we really don’t need them. The commercials about world hunger are a perfect example of this. They show kids that are starving and play sad music in the background and guilt you into donating. They make you think that if you don’t donate then you aren’t a good person. Donating to organizations like that is something that is nice and would be appreciated but it’s not something that we need to live. It could be damaging us financially too. Another great thing about this article was the part about Google. I’ve been a victim of typing something into the Google search engine then clicking on something totally different when the search results start to pop up, like in the video on the left of the article page. This can actually cause you to find something on another site that you think would be useful to spend money on or just simply waste your time. Advertisements are really corrupting the minds of people everywhere.
1st article:
There is no science behind zombies! As awesome as that would be, reanimation of an organism long after death is almost impossible. Life and homeostasis are incredibly complex ideas. If only one component should fail in the great intricate machine system of life, that's it. Game over. No continues.
That being said, the sciences behind behavior modification and parasites are both interesting and credible. These parasites are often benign, and the host often lives without knowing it was infected. Or, as in the case of the article, the parasites manipulates the host to it's own ends. Evolution once again comes to mind, as these parasites manipulate their hosts with the sole intent of survival and reproduction.
2nd article:
Two things came to mind: Since I see marketing as a future career choice, I often actively look for ads. By actually looking at them from an analytical standpoint, I'm thinking, rather than simply absorbing it like a consumer. As the article stated, advertising tries to coerce a person into purchase something they might not otherwise purchase. Yet what's shocking is Advertising is a lot like legal Inception. We try to plant ideas or actions in your mind, in a way that makes it seem like it was your idea all along. Effective advertising in today's desensitized society must be subtle, tailoring to both logic and emotional impulses. It calls to mind the classic American Dream, and basic capitalism, where we all wish to be successful, and either be equal or greater than our neighbors in terms of wealth or status.
Also, it calls to mind a video I saw regarding psychological bias, in this case the denomination effect. In short, we are more biased towards spending in small amounts than large amounts.(i.e, we are more likely to purchase $1.99 Angry Birds rather than the $35,000 car.)
I find the first article very strange because it is not something I would actually think happens in nature. It just goes to show that anything is possible in the natural world. What I find that is most surprising though is the fact that the ladybug live. After being stung, eaten from the inside out and then involuntarily forced to guard a cocoon of the very bug that caused it all this pain it lives. That must be one tough ladybug to survive it all. My aunt actually recently was stung by a wasp but I do not believe that she will become a zombie any time soon.
After reading the second article I realized it was right about a lot of things. The experiment at the university showed that a lot of times people agree to things just because someone else made it sound good. I think that the best ads are the ones that end up in everyday discussions. No matter how hard someone tries to avoid ads it is very hard to avoid other people. I find it amusing by the way that there was basically an ad in the post after a link to an article about ads. Makes me wonder how many people did not notice that and just downloaded the ad blocker without thinking about it.
The first article has a creepy similarity to the Alien vs. Predator series, where the alien queen would produce eggs that would give birth to these creatures that would attach themselves to a human face and would soon burst through the human's chest and develop into adulthood. However in this case, the ladybug has to endure the pain and recover after it, a tough price to pay in order to keep its life. Wasps also never struck me as parasitic insects, although I have heard of and seen videos of them ferociously attacking other small creatures to death. The other shocking part about this was the fact that the juices the larvae left somehow trick the ladybug into protecting them. It's a bit scary to imagine what would happen if parasites that can infect us humans could secrete some type of fluid to control our bodies.
As for the second article, right after reading the title I made another movie connection, this time the much more famous Inception. As Leo said, all it takes is to plant a small seed in order for an idea to grow and become real (or something along those lines). Advertising is very similar, as we get mad at all the popups or those advertisements before our favorite Youtube videos. However, we subconsciously keep track of it and remember at least a portion of the ad, even if nothing about the product comes to mind. If these ads have any sort of relevance to our lives, or even if it portrays a view of a life that we want to have, it remains in our heads where it is tough to get rid of. Only rational thinking and sound judgment can stop a person from being subtly tricked into buying a product that they most probably can do without.
The first article was interesting. I always thought parasitism was unusual but this instance takes it to another level. The most surprising part to me was that some of the ladybugs actually survived after the wasp left. It made me imagine a ringworm taking over a human for some reason. One thing I am curious about is why did the wasp choose a ladybug. Wouldn't it want maybe a more spacier bug? From the picture it looks as if the full-grown wasp is almost as big as the ladybug itself.
Every year I feel I read an article similar to this second one. That's probably because the advertisements do usually try to manipulate a person. For instance, I love eating food and whenever I see those Red Lobster ads with the perfect looking food I just feel the most powerful urge to eat. The way they show everyone in the restaurant being happy and the tables filled with varieties of dishes is probably what the article meant about the happiness and enjoyment of the product. Also, I remember that ad about Google. Even though I only use Google, the ad made me feel more happier that I use it. The article was right about the emotional aspect.
The first article was really creepy! I always found parasites gross and disturbing, but I always appreciated the amazing things they were capable of. After reading the article, I found myself grossed out and amazed at the same time. I never knew that wasps could deposit eggs into a host and that the stinger evolved for that exact purpose! I do not understand how the host ladybug lives even after the wasp inside of it reaches adulthood and how could secretions left by larva play a role in changing the behavior of the host! It is amazing to think that the wasps could modify the behavior of the ladybug so it would guard its cocoon! After reading this I wonder: If certain wasps are capable of doing this, what else can they do? Plus, I will never look at a ladybug the same way again!
I found the second article about the affects of advertising very interesting and surprising! I knew that companies used ads to manipulate consumers into buying their product, but I was unaware of the extent of the hold these ads have on us. Ads play on our emotions and act on our desires. While it is almost impossible to remove ads from my life, I now will think more before I purchase a product. I am guilty of succumbing to the manipulative power of advertisements. I find myself singing many catchy jingles and buying the latest products just because it is newer and better, and now I feel like I should definitely think before I buy. I am not sure if I was ever guilty of “referencing” to a more luxurious lifestyle, but maybe I could be doing it unintentionally, since I think that all people one time or another dream and aspire to a luxurious lifestyle where money does not matter. It makes sense that there would be a large debt that goes along with this pattern of impulsive buying! In addition, I never realized that ads really do not tell the consumer much about what the product does. They basically tell you what it is and that you should buy it, not what makes it better than another product. Furthermore, advertisements almost never tell you the negative aspects of their product. From now on I am going to really think about what the product does and how it will affect my life as well as identify my motivation. Am I focusing on popularity or acceptance, or do I really need this product?
I found the first article about the wasps and zombie ladybugs really freaky. It boggles my mind that any organism has the ability to reprogram another. I mean, I’ve heard of various creatures being able to secrete pheromones to affect the behavior of other organisms, like in ants, where such chemicals can be used to create a trail or stimulate frenzy, but never to the extent to where one could basically reprogram another’s mind to protect their larval young. It’s really fascinating, and I’m interested in how it actually works. What possible chemical combination could make it possible for such specific instruction to be input into another animal? That said, how long would it have taken for such a chemical to evolve within the wasp? What about the potential of adapting such chemicals for use on other creatures. Though this sounds a little science fiction-y, if scientist could learn to create chemicals with similar effects, what application for our world could that entail? Could they use them to alter human behavior, create a fabled truth serum, domesticate rabid animals?
The second article had me with mixed feelings. I’ve taken classes on graphic design courses at the high school, so I have a general idea what the people who make ads have in mind when pushing a product, but this article kind of contradicted what I’ve learned. Here, advertising is portrayed as some psychological enemy, where a consumer is affected even if they aren’t necessarily the target of the ad, as stated by the “The Problem: Advertising is for the Rich, Not You,” section. This part of the article basically said that a lot of advertising is aimed at the rich, and all us everyday folk just end up getting caught up in the marketing wave. Which is ridiculous. There are lots of products advertised to people other than the rich, like Cheetos, McDonalds, Tide, etc. This, coupled with how it said ads try triggering an emotional response to sway your choices made it seem like advertisers are constantly trying to control you via strange Jedi mind tricks. Advertising, really, is just another business. Yeah, its goal is to get you to buy one thing over another, but that’s what our economy runs on: competition between companies. Another section, however, commented on how the argument of an advertisement didn’t have to be strong for it to influence your decision; this I found pretty funny. It kind of reminded me of when you see a commercial on TV that you think is really bad, but because of its horribleness, you remember the product the next time you go shopping. Overall, it was an interesting read.
Insects of all sorts honestly gross me out. But, after reading this article, not only am I even more disgusted, but I am also fascinated. Dinocampus coccinellae's ability to force itself into the ladybug's internal organs is extremely creepy. However, it is actually intriguing that the wasp has the ability of mind control. Thus, it manipulates the ladybug into becoming a personal "body guard", as well.
Reading the second article makes me connect it with the three appeals of argument, which are emotional, ethical, and logical. Advertisements definitely use one or more of these three appeals in order for us to be drawn into and eventually buy their products. This is why so many Americans are living in debt ... because of their constant yearnings to live luxurious lives and beyond their means. Most advertisements will probably be misleading. However, some use the three appeals of argument in a beneficial way. For example, the public service announcements about quitting smoking play on emotional appeal. It makes smokers and non-smokers feel guilty and ashamed, which urge the quitting of the habit. Blocking advertisements will probably not be entirely beneficial, as it does keep the economy going. Instead, people need to make the right choices by questioning themselves, as the article states, of whether or not the product would be a waste of money.
Can you just imagine being in this poor little ladybugs situation? Suddenly waking up after a brutal sting and all of a sudden being compelled to aid and comfort a stranger’s egg. I guess that’s just how nature works; the more powerful creatures have the upper hand in manipulating more vulnerable ones, such as the ladybug, in order to thrive. The factor that 25% of all utilized ladybugs continue to live, bewildered me since I assumed it would be highly difficult for the ladybug to readapt to their original lifestyle. What is very intriguing, however, is how the wasp is able to evolve according to their necessities for survival. By exploiting susceptible creatures they are able to have more offspring and even healthier young if they were to make use of even stronger insect. What frets me the most is the idea that parasites may one day reach the point of evolution in which we may become susceptible victims just like the ladybug. Hopefully we would evolve correspondingly to these frightening insects and avoid a “zombie” epidemic.
Humans are highly prone to outside influence, especially those targeted to distort ones practicability, such as commercials and media. Ever frustrate over the drastic price change of Chanel sunglasses over regular $3.99 sunglasses from Target? They look the same, they fulfill the same purpose, and they function the same. Then why the large discrepancy in price? Well it comes down to the companies’ investment in commercials, their use of advertisements in order to signify their name, and of course the overall approach to your emotions when advertising. This dynamic takes a lot of sacrifice from companies’ pockets; therefore they expect you to do your part and yield to their suggestion and purchase their merchandise next time in the super market. Companies make a large percentage of their profit through commercials. The advertising artist’s job is to convey the appropriate message to his audience through stimulating one’s emotions, manipulating the logic in order to let emotional impulse take control, and most importantly eliminate the competition with other similar products in order to have the viewers somewhat indentured to the specific companies product. We live in a society were commercials and advertising are not only a phenomena in the market place but also play a big role in our personal life. Take example social networking; retrospectively, a large function of such websites is to ultimately advertise oneself. There are always those few people on your friend feeds who are at all times posting on how fun the recent trip to the beach was or where they are heading next and of course extremely animated photos in order to show what a great time they are having. This all comes down to the same function, advertising. Like right now in the background a commercial about Garnier Nutrisse shampoo just flashed on the screen. The attractive girl with beautiful hair just spoke about how her hair was so dull and unappealing and how after using Garnier her hair became so strong like “bamboo”, healthy and beautiful. What does that even mean… “Like bamboo”, shampoo is shampoo. There is so much shampoo can do for your hair; I doubt it is able to make it as strong as bamboo or even rejuvenate it into looking like a waterfall of honey. I can go on and on about the negative influence of commercials in our daily lives, however the ultimate decision comes down to us whether or not we surrender to its motive. As the article states, all we have to do is “THINK” and question what is entering out minds.
I actually read the first article right after I watched an episode of animal planets most extreme where they explained that an ant gets mind controlled by the AMAZING flat worm parasite!!! Apparently it is one of the most curious and complicated parasitic lifecycles known thus far. Basically, scientists discovered ants that were lifelessly hanging from blades of grass. Obviously, the scientist figured this behavior to be suicidal because mammals such as cows and rabbits enjoy eating the blades of grass. However, they found out that the behavior was caused by a parasite deemed the liverfluke which actually controls their brains and induces them clasp their jaws unto the grass for as long as 8 weeks! As predicted, the ants are consumed by a rabbit, cow, or any other grass eating mammal. After hatching out of the ant’s body, the parasite travels into the host’s liver and fully matures. After developing, the parasite releases thousands of eggs everyday which end up in animal feces. Incredibly, the eggs can’t hatch unless they are consumed by a snail. When a snail happens to eat the eggs, the parasite travels into the snails breathing cavity forcing the snail to spit the vermin out in a ball of mucus. So what does this have to do with the ant you say? Well, it just so happens that snail mucus is an ant’s favorite food! Btw, additional evidence to the UNEXPLAINED mind control is that the ants continue their normal behavior until a mammal is in sight just as the ladybug continues its life after the horrific episode with the wasp larva. LINK (incase anyone’s curious) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PB4SjX8QkA&feature=related
Moving on, the second article was rather thought provoking. By this I mean that I felt the author had a good point, the point being: pay more attention to what you hear, say, and see. Too many times, individuals including myself, tend to desire unnecessary items to appease wants and wishes. I’ve also come to the realization that marketers and advertisement managers must truly be masters at understanding human cravings. By understanding the simple principle, “People want what they can’t have,” such individuals have capitalized on making profits from products. I too will apply these advertising techniques to market products I wish to sell in the future! Fortunately, I will be sure not yield to such traps and tactics.
The part about "reprogramming the host" is what really interests me. The fact that these little parasites can "reprogram" a host that is so much stronger and bigger than them is very fascinating but very scary at the same time. This is actually not the first time that I heard parasites can manipulate hosts. I read this book by Scott Westerfield called Peeps where the parasites would infect humans and animals and turn them into vampires. It would change their whole personality and control them in a way that they would spread the disease even more. I thought it was just fictional but these bio articles support that theory so I'm starting to think that one day we'll all be in big trouble.
Moving onto the next article, it made me realize that I should really think and evaluate before spending! I'm not easily swayed by the ads on tv or on the internet but sometimes, I do carelessly spend money. I think I acually depend more on the comments of people about a product but you can't always depend on that too. The part about "referencing" is what really caught my attention. I like to watch a lot of tv shows and movies and I would always want what the actors are wearing or eating and would try to find it in stores. I never really realized I do that so thanks to this article for pointing it out.
About the Friends reference, I think Rachel's and Monica's apartment did actually come from Monica's grandmother but I'm not so sure if they were still paying rent for it or not.
Article 1:
I found that this article was very disturbing, but interesting at the same time. Who would have thought that a wasp was capable of planting an offspring inside of a ladybug? What shocked me the most was the fact that the ladybug did not die! Another fact that I was fascinated buy was that the ladybug still lived after the wasp reached adulthood. I never thought a wasp had the power to do that to any host, but I guess there are many unknown facts about insect that yet have to be discovered. Now I know why wasps have stingers!
Article 2:
In this article I learned that even though I might not realize it, advertisements have a great impact on my desires. Usually when I am watching a show or a movie, I find advertisements annoying because they always interrupt the show or movie. I never realized that a consumer could have such a great debt because of ads and the desire of living a luxurious life like the rich. Next time I want something I will think twice to make sure that I am not buying the item for my desires.
1st Article:
I was pretty shocked when I read this article. I had no idea that these wasps lay their eggs inside a host bug and they hatch from there. To me, it is kind of disturbing to think that a wasp hatches and them just comes out of the bugs stomach. That itself would be extremely painful and, on top of that, the ladybug had to guard the cocoon until it has become a full grown wasp. I would think that the ladybug would able to relieve its pain by dying, but, as the article states, it is not that lucky. What amazes me the most about this is that when the wasp comes out of the cocoon, some of the ladybug is let free and it goes back to its normal behaviors and habits. It is true that most of them do not go back to their normal ways, but it is still a wonder that even a small portion of them are able to go back to their normal ways. Parasitism is evolving in ways we cannot imagine and all we can do is guess what will happen next.
2nd Article:
The issue of ads influencing what you buy and do has been a topic of concern for quite a while. For many years, ads have been using tactics to persuade people to buy a certain product or to join in on a certain activity. Most ads try to target a certain group of people or a certain age group. Ads try to hook you in and make you interested in their product and a lot of them target your emotions. The people who manufacture these ads out a lot of time and research into them. They take time to see what people are into and what they want. They use a person's weakness to get them to buy their product. The ad about the dogs is a very good example. Many Americans today, especially younger generations, are very concerned with their weight. They are constantly told that being overweight or fat is a bad thing and you have to be thin to be beautiful. That is basically what this ad is subconsciously telling you. Ads are not a bad thing, but now ads are not only a way to advertise products, but many of them also send out a message. Whether or not the ad manufacturer was intending for this message to be sent is irrelevant. The fact is that it is being sent out and it is affecting the way people think about themselves, others, and the society. Ads are not a bad thing and I personally do not think that it is necessary to take ads out of your life completely, however, when you see an ad for a product or anything else you should think about what the ad is really saying and you have to use your best judgment on whether or not it is a good product for you. Do not get fooled by the things people say in ads because, most of the time, they are either curved or over exaggerated to make the product seem better then it actually is. This is not only for ads, but for anything people do. When someone wants to get you to do something, they will say everything they can to try to persuade you to so it. Everyone does it, even me. Advertising is a part of life today and you cannot avoid it, but what you have to do is think before you act and know what exactly you are buying or doing before blinding doing something just because someone else does it or says that it is good or bad. In the end it is you who is getting affected and only you yourself know what is best for you.
1st article: Parasites are really creepy and fascinating at the same time. The fact that one organism can take over the mind of another seems like something out of the supernatural, , but since it is real, it is really fascinating. I've heard of parasites that take over ants (it was mentioned in an earlier comment) and ones that can take over for a fish's tongue, but this wasp is interesting because of the fact it bursts out of a ladybug's body, and usually does not kill the host when its finished,
2nd article: When it comes to advertising, I am amazed at just how much thought goes into it. Some people may believe that most advertisements are just little commercials or posters that are designed to inform you about their product that are thought up by some not-so-intelligent people. The truth is, these advertisers are smart and know how to pander to you, and you don't even realize it. These people know a lot how the human mind receives and dissects information, and they use it to their advantage. And to anyone who complains about it, that's just how capitalism works.
I found the article on the wasps and the ladybugs rather interesting. Personally i really don't like wasps and bees because they look alike and you can't tell the difference between the two, and when you do it's too late. And the article just shows the vindictive nature of the wasps. I found it interesting but not surprising that the wasps used to be carnivorous. Considering how they continually sting something until they die or their victim gets away, it's not really surprising. However, I did find it really cool that they manipulated the ladybug to breed and protect the larvae. The process itself is a bit gory but it ensures the survival of the wasp, disregarding the fact that the majority of the world's population seems to dislike them. And like the article said, i thought that the ladybug would die after the whole "giving birth" process of the larvae. Although ladybugs and wasps don't have feelings (unless another crazy scientist wants to do another study on the feelings of insects) i feel kind of bad for the ladybug given that it's forced to take care of something that is not of the same species.
While I was reading the article (this may or may not be somewhat related) my thoughts were drawn to a movie called "Aliens V. Predators." A science fiction film created in 2004 it actually took a while for me to come up with the name of the film. However, there was a particular scene that kept popping into my head. In that particular scene, the egg(s) that had been laid inside a human suddenly burst out and overpowered the human essentially turning it into an alien. Although the situation was not identical to that of the ladybug's both victims were used as hosts, although i think that the human had a slightly better lot, it (well it had become an alien) eventually died.
As for ads, I personally think that ads appeal to several different senses (not the five senses that we're taught as children). The companies either use repetition or they resort to appealing to your emotional feeling toward a particular object, say your dog or how you cook. Honestly, the article just pointed out things that are common sense, but things that the majority of Americans don't stop to think about, such as "Can I afford it?" "Do i need it?" "Is it realistic if i can pay the money back?" "Do i have enough money in the bank to pay for these things?" There is a reason that we're all in this debt crisis which those ridiculous politicians have created. It's really not that hard. Don't buy something or spend more money than you have. If you want to splurge on something, save up. Then and only then can you splurge on something, it's that simple. Of course if there's a crisis or there's a war, that's a different story, but it's unnecessary to fly your own jets, your own helicopters, but extensive amounts of clothing, and go to your golf games and then complain about not having enough money and whine about the problem that you got yourself into. However, it was nice that the article could break things down and specifically explain all the little details and why's and the how's of our responses to the different ads.
To be honest i kind of like watching ads. Sometimes they get annoying and they get in the way of what i'm trying to do (i.e. watch a tv show on hulu) by that point i just ignore them and go do something else. However, a lot of the times the ads are repeated so many times that people can memorize the entire script of the ad and recite it as the ad rolls. Which is the point of the ad, to get it ingrained in your brain. However it doesn't necessarily mean that we have to buy those items, not if we don't need them. I just happen to find them interesting, when i have nothing else better to do. But sometimes, as the article says we need it to keep updated on the latest things and ideas and new products and a whole slew of other things.
I found that the first article was very interesting in addressing the way the Dinocampus coccinellae attaches to a ladybug and plants their offspring in it. When the offspring is born, the lady bug still does not die, but rather it forms a type of cocoon to protect the offspring. The most surprising thing about this article was that the lady bug did not die, in fact after the process the lady bug returned to normal behavior. Many forms of wasps rarely use this method of hatching their offspring because of the discovery of a better food source in nectar and pollen. It is quite interesting that the Dinocampus coccinellae continues to use this method while other wasps simply look for nectar and pollen.
Advertising is a big part of the consumer world, and all of us fall into the trap of wanting what we see or hear. We all want to believe that we are rich and can afford everything that is placed on a billboard or the TV. We all want to outshine out neighbors or be up to date on the latest fashions. However a big part of this desire to be the best comes from the advertisement world, and makes us all act alike. Advertisements play on our emotions to trigger memories of happiness, sadness, or even excitement. Advertising can be a dangerous thing because it makes the consumers want to buy what they can’t afford, and in return only leads to debt.
After reading this article, I was shocked. Personally, I am not a fan of wasps and to learn that they lay their eggs inside ladybugs via their stinger is quite disturbing. I thought that the stinger evolved for self defense purposes, not to aid in reproduction. A ladybug acting as a host to the wasp's eggs was enough, as I certainly believed that the ladybug would die soon after the larva hatched. But for the poor ladybug, this was not the case as its mind was reprogrammed to protect the larva as it would continue to grow into an adult wasp. This mind control concept that the larva enacted on the ladybug sounded like something out of science fiction, but to learn that it actually exists in nature is not surprising.
A lot of thought goes into advertisements. I always considered commercials and their ads to be mere nuissances that we just can't get away from. As the article mentioned, the majority of advertisements focus on manipulating an emotional response from its viewers. One well known examples of this are the starving children in Africa ad that depicts emaciated children scrounging for food and water in the desolute landscape of Africa. The ad encourages its viewers to donate money to help feed these suffering children by feeding off of the emotional need of its viewers to help these children in any possible way. A viewer who responds to this ad does not think about if he or she can afford to spend the amount of money being asked, and could consequently go into debt. Although we cannot control our emotional response to advertisements, we can think about whether or not we need to purchase the object. I will certainly think more when I see ads. I will ask myself if I truly need an ad's product, or I just want it.
I found the second article to interest me a whole a lot. I tend to think that when ads come up on tv that it won't affect me in anyway possible, but unfortunately it does. Even though it is not a bad thing to have a credit card in some ways it is because I will buy things and not knowing how much I have spent already i will spen more and more. This is when people go into debts and try to do however long it takes to pay off all the money theuy went over. Most i say that the people who do the advertisements have their way of making everyone buy their products, if it even means put them through dangers.
1st Article:
That was probably the coolest thing I have read all summer. It honestly sounds like something from a SciFi movie. What surprises me the most is that the article said that approximately a fourth of these lady bugs returned to living their normal lives, (then again whats normal in the insect word?) Now I see why you think parasites are so cool Dr.H, now if only we can grab a hold of this mind control power these parasites possess.
2nd Article:
Now I agree with everyone that ads run our life and will manipulate every spending decision we make whether we know it or not, but what the article has failed to recognize is that this nation is all bout advertisements. Not only are they manipulative but some of them have a permanent spots in society. Just look at Ronald McDonald, every time some middle eastern country is pissed off at the US they'll end up burning an effigy of Ronald McDonald. These advertisements are bigger than we could possibly think. Advertisements are all about manipulation and also about sticking in the minds of their target market. Looking back at my response to the first article, I guess we have harnessed the power of mind control to some degree
Regarding to the first article, its fascinating how wasps adapt to their surroundings and protect their eggs by leaving them inside the belly of a ladybug. I would think that because a parasite is living inside a host, that the host would die or become infected after they emerge as adults. However, this article shows how that is not always the case. The ladybug recovered back to it’s normal behavior. I also read somewhere that most parasitic species develop rapidly and that when the egg is inserted into the host, they give rise to hundreds of larvae. The insect world truly is intriguing.
I would like to say that I’m not easily convinced by ads but after reading that article, I have noticed how much ads truly do affect my spending habits. Advertisements and logos are pretty much everywhere; in school, on tv, on the radio, on the highway, and on our clothing. I think they are nearly impossible to avoid. However, just like the article said, it is important for us to think and play devil’s advocate and consider the negative sides of the products before we pick up our phones or drive to the nearest electronics store or shopping mall. Its crazy how easily tv commercial jingles can stick in our heads. We are easily carried away by the ads, without even consciously knowing it. I find myself being manipulated by these ads and the amount of products I have bought, that I truly do not need, but rather just bought because they are the “latest fad.” I learned from the article to always think and have of emotions and logic.
Robert Lamb's article on the parasitic wasp was startling. Before reading the article, I only knew that wasps were annoying and to run with arms flailing if one ever came near. Now I definitely would not like their presence, especially carnivorous wasps! I was definitely surprised out upon learning that Dinocampus coccinellae use live ladybugs to hatch their young, but also use the "zombie" ladybugs' bodies for protection. While it may seem unethical to use another being for protection, I thought it was fascinating how these wasps adapted and learned to take advantage of other insects in order to survive. After all, it is a dog-eat-dog - or perhaps "carnivorous wasp-controlling-ladybug" - world.
While Dachis made many viable points on the cons of advertising, I think he was a little harsh and more than slightly paranoid (I found his explanation on how far he goes to avoid ads altogether a little worrying). I personally love reading blogs and watching television and movies based on the fact that they do offer a world of extravagant or unrealistic ways of living; the escape of watching people live an imaginary or fantastic lifestyle that I know is impractical or unbelievable is simply entertainment or inspiration for real life. Yes, I know that as a jobless sixteen-year old high school student I have no means of owning a PS satchel or those Chloe wedges, but I consider it all inspiration. Once I get a job and spend hours of hard of work to get my paycheck, will I still want to spend it all on a bag or a pair of shoes? Probably not, but for now I still enjoy the Chanel advertisements in the pages of glossy magazines. Call me a slave to the industry for succumbing to the "evils" of advertising or referencing my own desires, but I agree that the negatives of advertising manipulation can be avoided with common sense and a level head.
Parasites seem self-serving. They use their host and in this case control them. It kind of reminds me of this book called The Host where these alien beings called Souls takeover human bodies on Earth. They use the humans to live and survive until the body is no longer of use. The body is used as an outer layer or shield. It's similar to how the ladybug is forced to guard the wasps until they are adults. It's sad that they have to live to protect the wasps but it's also interesting how the ladybug becomes a guardian, even if it's unnatural for it to do so. The wasps use the ladybugs in order to survive which fits Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest. They make sure that they continue to survive even if it means imposing themselves on other living beings.
The second article was interesting since we talked about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in Psychology last year. I enjoyed reading about how advertisements play on both types of persuasion. It's funny how most people are subconsciously attracted to specific products based on advertisements. People tend to justify extrinsic rewards since they seem worth it. It's a good idea to avoid watching an excess of commercials on TV since they plant ideas in people's heads. It reminds me of how grocery stores have milk and eggs in the back of the store. The aisles along the way tempt people to buy more than they actually need just like how ads compel us to eat out or buy more electronics. When it comes down to it, it really depends on how strong a person's willpower is and their ability to actually think logically about a purchase as opposed to justifying it improperly.
Article 1
Nature has its own ways of life. But some like this are not so naturally but rather affected by another organism. The fact that ladybugs are forced to keep eggs in their belly till they explode is quite disgusting. I am kinda glad no one made a movie about it. Some ladybuys are free once the egg hatches but for some the journey does not end there. Their pain contonies as they are forced to guard the wasp as it ages. Paracites are take over other organisms body but taking over their minds and controlling their habits was something i was unaware of. This article grosses me out because it shows how organisms use other organism for their own benifit and leave them once their needs are satisfied. To think of it, we as humans use other animals as well. In nature the stronger and more dominant species always wins.
Article 2
After reading this article i had a flashback to the classes i took in my recent years. Marketing showed and tought me how to convince people to buy your products instead of others. Its rather a complex process. To have an sucessful ads one must think about the people, the scenrios and also the colors used in the ads. Different color attract different people and set a different mood. Its a fact that we are controlled by these ads and they have a big hand in making us buy one thing over another. Also each ad is made for a different group of people who are called target market. The target market is what the ads focuses on because thats where they have all their customers. Personally after learning everything in marketing i can not say i am not affected by ads. They are a daily part of our lifes and we cannot change the fact that they do affect what we buy and what we dont.
Earlier in this blog, we read an article tbat alluded to parasites as an essential driving force for evolution. From that standpoint, parasites seem to me to be essential to the biological framework of the Earth, although most of the time, coevolution occurs as to provide neither the parasite nor the host huge advantages over each other. This article has definitely changed my neutral and slightly favorable opinion of parasites to a negative one. While it is definitely interesting how parasites are able to take control of host species, it is harrowing, to say the least.
In the example of parasitism given in this article, the ladybug is nearly entirely controlled by the wasp when the wasp needs to reproduce. What is even more interesting is that this change in the behavior of the ladybug, scientists believe, is triggered by the secretion of chemicals from the wasp's body. I am always in awe of how chemical processes which translate into biological changes control all lifeforms. More than awe-inspiring, that is also scary a scary thought, considering this form of parasitism could possibly take form with other organisms, perhaps even humans.
I am extremely glad you posted the second article. I like to think about culture and society a lot, and one thing I think about often is how humans are manipulated and subtly confined by external factors. In this article, this subject was viewed in terms of advertising and entertainment. Advertising affects us in the msot subtle ways, ingraining in our minds visuals and sounds that increase our familiarity with products. While I certainly never intend on buying a Snuggie, I would be more inclined to take notice of it at a store than one who hasn't watched a Snuggie commercial. Although I do not have an explicit desire to buy a Snuggie, ads have planted a more subtle desire. It is great that the sociological foundations of our cultural woes are examined in this article. People, perhaps because of entertainment and the media, aim to live lives that are beyond their means, triggering an idealism that often ends up in financial misfortune. The key truly is to think and to see through these manipulations. The secret is to be able to differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic motives, and to analyze before acting. Thank you for posting these articles!
Article 1: I found this article to be really intriguing and disgusting at the same time. It is so cool and horrifying how wasps have such a dictatorial rule over ladybugs. Not only do wasps make ladybugs the hosts for their larva, but they also force the ladybugs to do guard the baby wasps. I also thought the bit about ancient wasps and how they were carnivorous was really interesting. It is scary to think that wasps used to eat flesh.
Article 2: Advertising and manipulation have been a major problem and not just recently. Commercials have effected lot of people and essentially is the main cause of materialism in society. When the TV just came out people would sit there for hours and watch just commercials which in result caused the greater need for better products and services. But I believe that the article's suggestions is unrealistic since it has so much history. It is unreal that a person will stop watching TV just to ignore commercials if they did we would still would not be having this problem right now.
After reading the first article, I found myself questioning the criteria to being considered alive. Is a ladybug still alive when it is in the zombie state created by the parasite? The article claims that it is, but many question whether or not a zombie is considered to be alive. Most consider zombies to be in between life and death (hence the name "the living dead), but the "28" universe of zombies (28 days/weeks later etc...), they have the zombies starve to death therefore classifying them as living beings.
After thinking things through and analyzing popular opinions on zombies, I concluded that the ladybug in its zombie state of mind isn't completely dead, but I am still skeptical to say that it is completely alive. Does an organism have to be in its "right mind" to be considered alive? I'm not sure, but I'm sure I will learn the answer in class this year :D
Also, Dr. H, wouldn't posting the link to adblock+ be contradictory as it is an advertisement itself? O.o
The first article was interesting, but I feel like it left out a little detail. It's incredible that the lady bugs survive after the wasps have hatched out of their stomachs, but how do they survive? Does the wound just heal on it's own? Also, the article states that "25 percent of the manipulated ladybugs recovered normal behavior following their ordeal," but what about the other 75 percent? It's not like that percentage can be overlooked since it is three fourths of the lady bug population that become hosts for the wasps. Putting that aside, it's amazing that the lady bugs actually protect the cocoons of the wasps considering the fact that they're used as hosts. It's mind blowing because it can be compared to some parasite putting its eggs in human stomachs. We would end up protecting the cocoon, which is hard to imagine, but that's the same situation the lady bug is in.
At first the second article didn't really appeal to me. I'm not really in a situation where I can try to live a life I can't afford with a fancy house and expensive technology. Additionally, if I'm in any debt at all it's too my parents. With no interest rates whatsoever I eventually pay them back. As I read on, the article did have some interesting information on ads. I watched the Google ad before I read the paragraph on it and I literally felt moved. The ad made me view Google as a useful search engine with no cons. Then after reading the paragraph on the ad I realized that I fell right into the trap while reading an article about avoiding the traps set by ads...yup I felt pretty stupid. This article made me realized how easily we can be affected and it changed my view of advertisements all together.
As Mr. Lamb describes in the first article, the parasite Dinocampus coccinellae uses a host to successfully hatch their offspring as well as takeover the hosts system to develop more fully into a grown wasp. The ladybug host however does not die, which I found rather interesting, but instead is used to protect the parasitic offspring.
In today’s world, advertising is everywhere we go. In Dachis article, “How Advertising Manipulates Your Choices and Spending Habits (and What to Do About It)”, he describes how people are manipulated by every day ads, whether it be on TV, radio or in a magazine, and by tapping into the emotional side of the consumer it may inherently alter what he or she spends their money on. I thought it was very interesting that the author brought up the TV show Friends as an example of how movies and shows trick people into thinking that they too can live such an unrealistic lifestyle which can often lead to debt. In conclusion, the author tells us to think logically before we are persuaded by the advertising world. Is the item he or she wants a necessity or just to impress friends? Buying something out of desire instead of need might be dangerous to someone financially, but more importantly it consumes his/her logic with only desires instead of what he/she may really need.
When I read the first article, to be quite truthful, I was somewhat disturbed to see how violent a small insect (the wasp) can be. It is also interesting to learn that wasps were once carnivorous animals, but due to evolution, they turned towards plants. The fact that the larvae inject a hormone, or some type of chemical, into the ladybug that allows for this behavior change is quite fascinating. When I read this, I began to wonder how the wasp developed such a chemical to due such an act. In many ways I pity the ladybug and what it is forced to do.
There was a similar discussion about info commercials on 20/20 (I doubt that most people watch it). What I find interesting is that advertisers know when we are the most vulnerable, such as during the late hours, and take advantage of the situation. When I think of some of the commercials, I believe that I had some emotional response to the majority of the ads. I am glad that there is spam in my emails, because just clicking the DELETE ALL SPAM messages is just plain easy.
Article 1:
The first article was kinda gross! This took parasitism to a whole new level. I never thought that the wasp would deposit its eggs inside a host and that the stinger was used for this purpose. It surprises me that the wasps use Ladybugs as their host and the ladybugs are able to survive it as well. In the picture that was in the article, the size of the larva was that of a full grown wasp and that looked about as big as the ladybug. Its kind of scary to think that another creature can take over the mind of another.
Article 2:
I have always heard that ads affect your lifestyle. Virtually everywhere we go or look we see ads that influence our emotions and change us so we don’t think logically. Whether its movies, magazines, newspapers or even people everything affects us. in my opinion people are like walking ads, for example, if we see someone where a specific brand or a style we wanna do that too. From a consumer standpoint we do everything emotionally like buying something just because it sounds like it will make life easier. I agree with the article that ads affect us in an emotional way.
Growing up as a kid I was always afraid of bees. Reading about the first article just freaked me out when I learned that bees come from the same family as flesh eating wasps known as the "Dinocampus coccinellae." However, what really fascinated me is what this species are able to do through parasitism with its hosts such as the ladybug. As Dinocampus coccinellae grow within its host the host eventually dies but somehow the ladybug is still able to function in order to act as a shield for the wasp. This kind of study just makes biology seem so unreal.
On the other hand, the article about ads seemed ironic. It just came to me now that the kinds of strategies mentioned in this article actually worked on me and gives me sort of a surprise. I find it so funny how ads work on you and somehow find a way to stick in your memory when you least expect it. It's weird that humans will always try to convince themselves that they have full control over their body and mind, when 1-2 minute ads can easily disprove them.
First Article:
I just watched "Monsters Inside Me" on Animal Planet and the episode focuses on how a certain parasite (which I don't even wanna attempt to spell), lived in a woman's bladder for over three years. The parasite didn't have control over the woman, unlike with the ladybug in the article, but it did invade a woman's bladder and deposited its eggs inside her. A biologist who studied the woman's case feared that she could have developed cancer because of the tissue build-up caused by the parasite (fortunately, her diagnosis proved negative). Soon after, her doctor figured out the source of the parasite - Lake Malawi in Africa. Studies say that this certain parasite lives off a secondary host until it dies, which was a snail in this case, before it invades a primary host, the woman. Apparently the fresh lake infected her with this parasite, and not until three years later did she find out about it. Even though this parasite didn't have control over the woman, it still managed to live and lay its eggs inside a living host for years.
I've heard about parasites hatching its egg inside a host, like in this episode, but not about parasites invading a host's mind and not to mention, having the ability to force a host to protect its cocoon. It kind of surprised me that the ladybug didn't die after being mentally captured by the parasite, I just expected it to die since the parasite never really escaped the host. So I agree with @Deepa about parasites being able to control humans next. It's definitely possible for parasites to rise up and start to invade bigger and more powerful hosts such as humans (but in the distant future, as Deepa says).
Second Article:
Just the other day, I was surfing the web and I actually intentionally clicked on an ad because it most definitely interested me. From reading the article, I could now say that I didn't click the ad just because I've wanted the product for a while, but because it did target my emotions. The simple picture showed something I could relate to, and that is one of the many tactics that advertisements do; show how it could fit into our lives perfectly and how it could affect us positively. Even though I ended up not buying the product (because of my indecision and doubts), the advertisement still did its job as an annoying eye-catcher.
The article concerning advertisements in my opinion was very accurate. It's very true that the millions of advertisements that people see on a regular basis affect us drastically. I found it interesting how the author mentioned the show Friends in the article, especially since I've been in love with that show forever. I firmly believe that the author is correct in how he wrote about how advertisements give unrealistic/fictitious worlds to viewers.
I never thought it was actually possible for anything like "zombies" to exist. Even though in this case its been found in parasites and not humans, its still really interesting. However along with interesting I found the article to be a bit gross and disgusting. Its sort of sickening to hear about an living organism using another organism to do something.
I never thought much about wasps before reading the first article (aside from the fact that getting stung by one is obviously something to avoid.) I always thought that wasps' stingers evolved only for defense purposes, but evidently, that isn't the case. Unfortunately for DC ladybugs, the stingers are used so that the wasp can deposit its eggs into an unlucky ladybug's stomach. The ladybug is not only forced to live with the wasp parasite inside it, but it also has to guard the larvae until it is fully grown after hatching. This intrigued me the most. I thought it was interesting (and kinda creepy) that the secretions from the larvae allowed it to "reprogram" the ladybug's behavior. At this point I thought that the ladybug would die. I mean it DID just have a wasp explode out if its body. It left me wondering how some ladybugs continued to live a "normal" life after what seems to be a horrible experience.
I really liked reading the second article! I find it interesting how ads can easily manipulate people's minds. Up until now, I didn't realize that ads target emotions rather than giving reasons on why their products are actually worth buying. I always thought that I've been good at ignoring them, but in reality, advertising is everywhere and they do affect me, even though they do so indirectly. It makes sense that people buy things that will make them feel like they're living an ideal life. Once you think about it, it's ridiculous buying something appealing with no real purpose than something you really need. I'll definitely keep that in mind the next time I'm thinking about going out to buy something. Doing so will keep me from useless spending, even though I don't think it's not a bad thing to do every once in a while. In the meantime, I'll worry more about money when I actually get a job, hah.
Personally, I thought the first article sounded more like a low-budget science-fiction movie than an actual natural occurrence. I still found it interesting, especially when I learned that the ladybug often returns to living a normal life after essentially becoming a zombie. I sometimes forget how brutal the natural world can be, and this article definitely reminded me of that.
I'm really interested in psychology, so naturally the second article appealed to me even more. The author explained that a great deal of advertising seeks to invoke certain emotions in consumers. Advertisements very rarely attempt to make logical appeals to consumers, because they would rather logic not be involved at all. The reason these emotional appeals are so effective is simple: most people are not actively thinking when they view an advertisement. As a result, they often make purchases based on the way an advertisement made them feel, not based on the product itself. I was also intrigued by the author's mention of the role extrinsic motivation plays in advertising. I think a lot of people make decisions based on their idea of how their life should be, instead of the way it actually is. These faulty perceptions are the result of a lifetime of exposure to advertisements. I never realized the extent of the manipulation that we are all faced with on a daily basis, and reading this article definitely opened my eyes.
I found the first article to be very intriguing. What fascinated me the most was that 25 percent of ladybugs are forced to guard the parasites they carried for so long. For me, zombies were pure science fiction, but this is not the case in the world of wasps.
Advertising companies are very clever in the way they create ads. In a way, they use science against us by creating an ad that triggers an emotional response and that gets us to buy their product even though we might not need it. I found the authors solution of avoiding ads entirely quite unrealistic since I cannot give up the luxury of watching a game live. But I found the other solution he proposed, to think while viewing ads, an effective way to make good choices while shopping.
Parasites turning ladybugs into zombies? Awesome. The world of insects and parasites never ceases to awe me... and gross me out for that matter!
First of all, @jon8tan, that video was so interesting. That might be the most complex life cycle in the universe! Seriously... snail mucus? Getting back to the article, I find it intriguing how the wasp not only uses the ladybug to hatch its young, but upon birth the larvae reprograms the ladybug to become it's own personal bodyguard. The Dinocampus coccinellae ends up turning the innocent ladybug into a real life zombie. Though I previously knew that some wasp species are carnivores, I had no idea that they were capable of mind control. Let's just hope that the wasp doesn't reprogram the ladybug zombie to feast on human brains! Also, the parasite-ladybug relationship oddly reminded me of cuckoo birds. In many species of cuckoos, the mother invades and drops her egg into the nest of another bird's. When the baby cuckoo hatches, it knocks all of the other eggs out, claiming the nest for its own. The host parent is then forced to become the personal mother for the cuckoo, feeding it and caring for it until it is big enough to go out on its own. On further research, I found out that these invasive species of cuckoos are known as "brood parasites." I find it intriguing that parasitism in the insect world is also echoed in the avian world.
I've always been fascinated by the manipulative powers of advertisements. But then again, it is not surprising how much control they can have over our lives considering that they are everywhere we turn! When I was in Europe, they even had advertisements printed on the paper towels in bathrooms. I think that the most interesting point that the author brought up was that simply by not thinking, we are succumbing to the powers of ads. I always thought that I was in control of my own mind, but ads affect me just as they do anyone else. Even just yesterday I passively gave in to an advertisement. I was in Ben and Jerry's and was planning on getting one scoop of ice cream, when I saw a sign saying. "With so many flavors to choose from, why not make it a double!" Without thinking, I ended up buying two scoops, even though I wasn't that hungry and would have been satisfied with one. From now on, I will definitely be more wary of the advertisement filled world we live in.
I found the first very strange and interesting at the same time. What I found strange is that a parasitic wasp was able to use another species to reproduce and protect the offspring. I never thought anything like that was possible. What I interesting is that the host did not die after the offspring reaches adulthood. The fact that 25% of the manipulated ladybugs recovered is very surprising to me.
The second atricle reminded me how I hate advertisements. They're hard to avoid because they're everywhere. That is one of the many reasons why advertisements manipulate people into product they cannot afford or do not need. The resulting debt statistics were shocking to me. 1.7 million dollars in total debt is crazy and it shows that people buy things they cannot afford. The article was also accurate in saying that adveritisement go for people's emotions which can heavily manipulate people.
3) As I was reading the first article I couldn’t tell if I was disgusted or just amazed. I think it’s so cool that insects can do things like this and develop inside a completely different organism. And then, after all that, have that organism become programmed to protect the developing eggs! That poor ladybug had to go through quite a lot. I never really like wasps and this gives me yet another reason not to. This reminded me of Alien vs. Predator. I remember watching that movie disgusted when an alien would hatch out of a human being. It’s weird that it happens to ordinary insects too.
The second article was very intriguing as well. Advertisements and commercial exist to fluctuate our feelings and make us want certain products that are on sale. Appealing to feelings helps advertisers hit an emotional level with their potential clients. It is interesting to know how little things like TV shows can have such a huge impact on choices. As someone else previously added, the article made me think of the commercials on TV that play sad music and make you want to adopt an animal. All of these programs are created to make the viewer feel bad and in turn, buy an animal. Next time I go to buy something, I’m definitely going to remember to “think”.
I always thought the idea of "zombie" like organism existing was science fiction but the first article makes me think otherwise. The thought that an organism can force another organism to its own survival still amazes me. As I was reading I was hoping for some sure explanation to how this phenomenon worked but I was disappointed at how the article just stated "Scientists believe that secretions left by the larva when it bursts out might play a role in reprograming the host." Maybe in the future, more studies can show how this was possible
The article about the consequences of Ads and how to deal with them was interesting. In psychology I learned that memory and emotion are closely linked and I believe the author did a good job at pointing out how advertisers target people and invoke emotions just so they can buy their product. I dont believe that a person should have to go the extreme methods of cutting out most ads in their life but I do agree with the fact that you should wait sometime before purchasing a product for which you have seen an advertisement. Also, I agree with the idea of playing devil's advocate to advertisements and thinking of all the negative consequences of buying that product.
Once I finished reading the first article, it reminded me of most of the zombie/rage virus movies I've seen! (I watch them all the time...teehee.) That's actually quite disturbing...something living inside of an organism and controlling it, and then all of a sudden it just pops out, and the host dies. (well, in most cases it dies, I guess. What a life). It's so interesting that the wasp basically has the host wrapped around it's finger and have it watch it's young. I read some of the comments and I saw someone refer to the host as a "zombie-slave". Very accurate!
I have quite a bit to say about the second article! I'll start off with this - I'm not very influenced by ad's on TV, or at least I think I'm not. I rarely ever watch an AD and say "WHOA THAT LOOKS AWESOME" because some Ads are just cheesy and weird, and another reason is I have DVR and I never watch commercials. :) Anyway, what I am influenced by (and this might sound a bit ridiculous) is a blogging site called Tumblr! I always see pictures of fashion and cute accessories and I basically want everything I see on there. It's not like I can actually buy the clothes right off the blogging site, but I definitely keep my eyes peeled for clothes that look like they do on the site, and I'll spend more. I'd say, if anything, the internet has made me a bit consumer crazy. I remember when I was a little kid, I saw this infomercial for a nail care set and I thought it was the best thing ever (you know how infomercials are) and I remember counting all my money and making sure I had enough. I can totally see how people are so intrigued by infomercials...but actually buying the product is for the simple minded (aka: my seven year old self).
I disagree about the decision making though. Some of the best clothes or items I've gotten were a last minute decision! I can be thinking about getting something for months, and I'll get it for Christmas and be like...this isn't as cool as I thought it would be. I think that "48 hour decision" rule is very inaccurate and is very bad advice. Now a days, if you don't like it when you take it home - return it!
I was LOL'ing all throughout the first article. Chest-burst-mitzvah :D Anyway, I was astonished by how this wasp could just stab something with its butt, inject its young, and expect the host to devote its life to caring for it's new adoptive wasp baby. But apparently it can! (sort of reminds me of Stockholm Syndrome, or these suicidal zombie ants). The article also says scientists believe the secretions left by emerging larva are some type of high-tech mind control serum which reprograms the ladybug's brain to shelter the cocoon. Awesome :D Even cooler was the fact that a substantial amount of these ladybugs survive and even return to normal activity without complaint. like a BOSS
As for the second article; It was cool reading how companies scheme and create advertisements that play on emotions and exploit vulnerable aspects of human nature. They have a surprising amount of psychological tricks up their sleeves to net people into buying unnecessary products. Cool articles!
In the first article, the ability of a parasite to take over the mind of it's victim causes one to think. Many years ago sharks and other animals were much larger. If one day a wasp or other insects get large enough will they be able to take over our own minds. The likelihood of this happening is extremely unlikely but, it is worth thinking about. The fact that one living thing could take over another brings up the thought some type of mind control is somehow possible.
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