<p><em>Photo: flickr/tristanf</em><em>(It’s Red Hot Science Week here at Seriously, Science? All week long we will be featuring science that focuses on the color red.)</em></p><div class="vert-display-toggle collapsible relative flex flex-col items-center "><div class="vert-unit mt-4 mb-3 top-20"><div ad-type="mobile-desktop" class="ad-wrapper vert min-h-boombox flex items-start justify-center" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-0"></div></div><span aria-label="Advertisement" class="text-ad mt-1 text-[11px] uppercase">Advertisement</span></div><p><strong>Epidemiology of reindeer parasites.</strong> “Every Christmas we sing about Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer, but do we give much thought to why his nose is red? The general consensus is that Rudolf has caught a cold, but as far as I know no proper diagnosis has been made of his abnormal condition. I think that, rather than having a cold, Rudolf is suffering from a parasitic infection of his respiratory system. To some this may seem a bit far-fetched as one would not expect an animal living with Santa Claus at the North Pole to be plagued by parasites, but I shall show otherwise.” </p><p><em>If you're wondering whether scientists have a sense of humor, look no further. This Norwegian ecologist decided to diagnose Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, concluding that the famous reindeer was suffering from a parasitic infection of his respiratory system (LOL!) Maybe that's why the other reindeer never let him join in their games?</em></p><div data-embedid="dcfb67aa-fdf4-4a19-b4c7-75c497a8de9c" id="insticator-embed-temp"></div><p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15462756" title=""></a></p><figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img srcset="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/9927/reindeer-parasites-s.webp 480w, https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/9927/reindeer-parasites-m.webp 660w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, 660px" src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/9927/reindeer-parasites-s.jpg" title="reindeer-parasites.png" loading="lazy" data-id="9927"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption"><p class="fr-caption"></p></figcaption></figure><p> Related content: <a href="/the-sciences/ncbi-rofl-is-that-a-subcutaneous-larva-or-a-hair" title="">NCBI ROFL: Is that a subcutaneous larva or a hair?</a></p><p><a href="/the-sciences/ncbi-rofl-want-to-cure-your-malaria-get-wasted" title="">NCBI ROFL: Want to cure your malaria? Get wasted!</a></p><p><a href="/the-sciences/ncbi-rofl-the-fecal-odor-of-sick-hedgehogs-mediates-olfactory-attraction-of-the-tick-ixodes-hexagonus" title="">NCBI ROFL: The fecal odor of sick hedgehogs mediates olfactory attraction of the tick Ixodes hexagonus.</a></p>

reindeer-300x225.jpg

Explore the fascinating epidemiology of reindeer parasites, revealing what Rudolph's red nose might really indicate!

Planet Earth

Flashback Friday: The real reason Rudolph's nose was red.

Article

News

Seriously Science

Science

Photo: flickr/tristanf(It’s Red Hot Science Week here at Seriously, Science? All week long we will be featuring science that focuses on the color red.) Epidemiology of reindeer parasites. “Every Christmas we sing about Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer, but do we give much thought to why his nose is red? The general consensus is that Rudolf has caught a cold, but as far as I know no proper diagnosis has been made of his abnormal condition. I think that, rather than having a cold, Rudolf is suffering from a parasitic infection of his respiratory system. To some this may seem a bit far-fetched as one would not expect an animal living with Santa Claus at the North Pole to be plagued by parasites, but I shall show otherwise.” If you're wondering whether scientists have a sense of humor, look no further. This Norwegian ecologist decided to diagnose Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, concluding that the famous reindeer was suffering from a parasitic infection of his respiratory system (LOL!) Maybe that's why the other reindeer never let him join in their games? Related content: NCBI ROFL: Is that a subcutaneous larva or a hair? NCBI ROFL: Want to cure your malaria? Get wasted! NCBI ROFL: The fecal odor of sick hedgehogs mediates olfactory attraction of the tick Ixodes hexagonus.

Discover Magazine’s award-winning journalism inspires and informs, delivering thought-provoking content that sparks meaningful conversations. With a focus on groundbreaking developments in science, technology, and the world around us, Discover highlights the impact of these innovations on our daily lives.

闪回星期五：鲁道夫的鼻子真正变红的原因。

新闻简报

Seriously Science

逃过灭绝的史前树木——银杏等至今仍繁茂生长

三种新发现的蟾蜍以奇异的进化方式产下活体幼崽

弓头鲸可活到200岁，其DNA可能蕴含长寿的秘密

切尔诺贝利的狗神秘变蓝，但辐射并非罪魁祸首

深海发现食肉死亡球海绵及其他新物种

这些吸血鬼鹿拥有三英寸长的獠牙而非鹿角来抵御对手

在寻找“耐力号”沉船时，意外发现了一个隐藏的鱼类社区

吸血蜘蛛痴迷于人类血液，通过扑向蚊子来饱餐一顿

最稀有的海洋动物及其他6种神秘潜伏在深海的难以捉摸的生物

冰岛首次发现蚊子，可能与气候变化有关

这些蝙蝠在紫外光下会发出绿光，但原因仍然是个谜

不再是“料理鼠王”——芝加哥鼠洞实则被一只松鼠压扁

蝠鲼潜入近4000英尺深的海洋——不是为了觅食，而是为了寻找方向

鲸鱼和海豚为何会搁浅，痴呆症是罪魁祸首吗？

狗如何看世界？它们确实能看到颜色，但更关注我们

保持好奇

加入我们的列表

订阅杂志