[00:00] Rabies is one of the deadliest diseases we know of. If you don't get treatment soon after getting exposed, you are almost certain to die. But rabies intent isn't actually to kill. It's to control.
[00:13] Rabies is transmitted through saliva. In order to infect a new host, that virus-laden saliva needs to make its way into a different critter's body. Once it's in there, unlike most pathogens, which move through the bloodstream, rabies
[00:25] viruses travel through their host's nerves. It's not a fast way to travel. The viruses only advance a few inches a day, but it helps hide them from the host's immune system, and it's a direct route to rabies' desired destination, the brain.
[00:39] There, the viruses start to build up. Scientists don't totally understand the details, but the viruses seem to bind to receptors that allow brain cells to communicate with each other, basically seizing control of the brain.
[00:51] The host becomes less fearful and more aggressive, which means it's more likely to come into contact with and bite another potential host. passing along the virus.