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Figure 2 - Hypothesized reconstruction of the Trichomonas-like infection of a Tyrannosaurus rex. Parasites have plagued vertebrates for a very, very long time. They have co-evolved with us and our evolutionary ancestors over many millions of years.

The Hygiene Hypothesis, Part 3. Are Parasitic Worms Friend or Foe?

... damages our own tissues in the process. We also learned how helminths like pig whipworm might constitute an exciting ... . The question we're now looking at is: why? 'Why' questions in biology require evolutionary explanations; it is ... on gazelles for faster running; slower gazelles tend to get eaten more so the faster runners enjoy relative ...

Electron micrograph of an adult male Schistosoma parasite worm. The bar (bottom left) represents a magnification of 0.5mm.

The Hygiene Hypothesis Unraveled

... such as hayfever and certain bowel conditions. But how do parasitic worms, technically known as ' helminths ', ... regulation is a fine one- too much of the former and you get excessive damage of your own tissues (e.g. with ... in the United States thinks that the answer to both those questions is a resounding yes, as we'll discuss in the next ...