From the Scopes Monkey Trial to O.J Simpson, trials have always made us reflect on the world we live in.

I'm Mira Hayward, and my podcast History on Trial will explore fascinating trials from American history.

Join me in revealing the true story behind the headlines and discover how the legal

battles of the past have shaped our present.

Listen and subscribe to History on Trial.

Now on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Happy Halloween everyone. This is my favorite time of year. The weather is cool, the leaves are changing color here in Virginia, and creepy stuff is in.

So this week Daniel and I are geeking out about zombies and ghosts.

The zombies I'm going to be talking about aren't like creatures who have been infected by viruses that bring the creatures back from the dead in search of delicious brains,

but what are often called zombies in pop science

are creatures that are infected by parasites and then those parasites manipulate

their living creatures, living hosts, into acting in weird ways that benefit the parasite

while often hurting the host.

But one of the hard things about studying seemingly

zombified creatures is that behaviors can change

when someone is infected for a lot of reasons.

Just because it sounds like a behavior can benefit a parasite that doesn't necessarily mean that it does.

In fact, sometimes we've looked into seemingly zombified creatures.

And when we look into them more closely,

the story that we had been telling ourselves falls apart.

Let's think through why this can be so tough.

All right, so imagine you're a kid who's home with a fever.

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