From ‘Alien’ to ‘The Last of Us,’ parasites have a gruesome reputation. But parasitologists are finding ways to change the conversation. A nematomorpha parasite wriggling from a dead bush-cricket.

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Whether it's finding a tick buried in your socks after a walk in the woods or yanking off a few leeches after a pond swim, parasites trigger revulsion in most of us. And forget about those worms in ...