I have recounted previously how, when visiting Costa Rica as a graduate student, I got a human botfly larva (Dermtobia hominis) in my head, and, over the next two months, let it grow between my scalp and my skull until it emerged.
My story was the subject of a Science Friday segment on NPR that you can hear by clicking below. Press “listen”; my segment begins at 43:38 and lasts 12 minutes. I think they did a fantastic job, even interviewing my girlfriend at the time, who was present when the botfly larva emerged from my head.
And below is a great short video of the natural history of this fly produced by my Harvard colleague Piotr Naskrecki. It shows a botfly emerging from a human arm. Note how amazing this creature is: the fly larva not only produces an antibiotic to prevent it from being attacked by microbes while it’s gestating, but also a painkiller that makes its exist painless (if a host felt it emerging, it might slap and kill the larva). Evolution is amazing!
h/t: Sally, Sarah