Who needs to be infected with Toxoplasma Gondii? The “alpha” parasite.

[Kblaze8855]

So there’s this parasite, that upon infecting certain mammals makes them more aggressive, and in the case of pack animals often turns them into alphas. Not always for the best. A few details:

Researchers studying grey wolf populations in Yellowstone National Park have discovered an intriguing reason why some wolves may be more inclined to become pack leaders.Grey wolves exposed to Toxoplasma gondii -- the parasite that causes the disease toxoplasmosis -- are more than 46 times more likely to become a pack leader than uninfected wolves, according to a study published Thursday in Communications Biology.
The researchers analyzed behavioral and distribution data from 1995 to 2020 as well as blood samples from 229 anaesthetized wolves to study the association between risk-taking behaviors and infection with Toxoplasma gondii. They identified associations between parasite infection and high-risk behaviors in both males and females.

for now I’m going to try to suppress my instinct to dismiss the entire concept of alpha and beta used the way men on the Internet use it to pretty much suggest whoever thinks the way they do is a natural leader….

I may fail…but I’m going to try to ignore how foolish a lot of people look claiming to be “alphas” and stick to the topic.


If it turns out this parasite can turn humans into aggressive outcasts who eventually seek out weaker ones to violently dominate…if it could actually turn someone from a follower to a leader….

Give me your top 3 choices to infect with said parasite?

[Kblaze8855]

You read up on it there are stories of infected wolves who run off and start their own packs, but don’t actually have the leadership skills or knowledge of the environment, and just take over a pack by killing its alpha and running the pack into the ground and it dies off.

Makes a young wolf wanna fight and lead…but the old wolves lead because they know how to lead as much as have the strength to do it.

Young infected wolves out here leading groups of betas into areas with no prey or getting them stuck out in storm and shit. It’s fascinating.

That said… I needed Rasheed Wallace to get infected around 1998. He might be the wrong guy to lead…but I wanted to see him try.

[highwhey]

how about we settle for a cure for autism and aspergers. kenny and jstern could really use them.

[Im Still Ballin]

Kevin McHale

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David Robinson

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[Kblaze8855]

I do remember some fans being annoyed AD said he’d follow Lebron forever or whatever it was after that ring.

He might be the strong young wolf who doesn’t know how to do it if he did seize power though.

[AlternativeAcc.]

Kblaze.

Dude had potential in life

[Reggie43]

Eddie Jones and Lamar Odom

[ArbitraryWater]

If AD had it, hoy shit.

[Clifton]

You read up on it there are stories of infected wolves who run off and start their own packs, but don’t actually have the leadership skills or knowledge of the environment, and just take over a pack by killing its alpha and running the pack into the ground and it dies off.

It's usually not an accident if a guy scores less than you think he could, or is less a leader that we think he ought to be. Leaders naturally rise to the top. I think it's much more common for a guy to wrongly assume alpha status (current Westbrook) than for someone who's got the capacity to not rise to the top.

Could be wrong I guess. It's just my impression.

For example I really don't think Sheed could have been a take-over player. If he had tried to be, I think we would have seen more holes that explain why he played the way he did.

Manu Ginobili is another one. We love to say he could have scored 25ppg if he had wanted. Perhaps he would have had a couple outlier years scoring-wise, but I think he ended up with the right kind of career for him.

I don't think it's an accident that Anthony Davis isn't quite a takeover player either. As good as he is, when he forces the issue, it never looks sustainable or inevitable. You compare that with a guy like Kobe or Lebron-- when those guys tried to defer, that never looked sustainable either. The takeover guys rise to the top, they just do.

Guys who don't have it but try to play as though they do, and somehow have the willpower to sustain it? They either fall back to earth or their teams are always looking to move off them after a year or two.

[Kblaze8855]

I remember having a couple topics on this issue and I can’t find the long one so this will do…..

Pablo Tory brought the guy on his podcast who is responsible for the whole alpha and beta in wolves thing that has been terribly misused the last few decades. It’s fairly interesting. I’m sure some of our self proclaimed alphas will not agree with the idea they need to shut the **** up because they don’t understand what he was saying.

[highwhey]

how about we settle for a cure for autism and aspergers. kenny and jstern could really use them.

damn what a hilarious comment that is still very true even in 2024.

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This. The most beta player in the NBA.