THE QUEST TO SAVE PARASITES

You may have seen a "Save the Whales" t-shirt, but what about "Save the Parasites"? Most people are familiar with parasites as a scourge to humans and livestock, and rightly so. Those parasites need to be controlled. But there is a vast unseen world of parasites that have evolved along with wildlife -- the "dark matter" of ecosystems. These parasites have evolved with their hosts over millions of years and are in a delicate balance with nature. They need to be studied and treated as endangered species in some cases, according to researchers who are on a quest to save parasites.