by Temitope Onitiju
Some US scientists have discovered an algae virus, coined as “stupid virus”, which infects human brains and makes people more stupid.
The discovery was made at the Johns Hopkins Medical School and the University of Nebraska, during a study into throat micro-organisms.
Out of the 90 people that participated in the study, 40 tested positive for the stupid virus, which proved that those who had tested positive performed worse on tests that were designed to measure visual processing and attention spans.
Despite the human body’s capacity to contain a multitude of bacteria and fungi, the study proved that specific micro-organisms can have a negative effect on intelligent processing.
According to Dr Robert Yolken, a virologist, who led the study, “This is a striking example showing that the “innocuous” microorganisms we carry can affect behaviour and cognition.”
“Many physiological differences between person A and person B are encoded in the set of genes each inherits from parents, yet some of these differences are fueled by the various microorganisms we harbour and the way they interact with our genes.”
