Override

I keep talking about self-preservation instincts (or was it the lack thereof?) on this here blog, but an interesting article I saw recently caught my attention precisely because it showed that you can override self-preservation instincts.

I can't be bothered to find the actual article, but it was about this virus that lived in rats, but only was able to reproduce in the intestines of a cat. (Strange choice for a reproduction site, but I don't think I can judge.)

And hence, in order for the virus to continue to reproduce, it has to get the host rat to visit the intestines of a cat - a visit the host rat usually does not survive.

So this virus apparently clamps down on the part of the brain that warns the rat of danger (for example, the production of panic in reaction to smelling cat urine). Tests showed that normal, uninfected test rats stayed away from areas with cat smells while infected ones treated them like normal places.

This of course leads to the result where a virus causes a rat to end up in the belly of a cat.

Interesting.