Boss: Tell me what’s the most common cause of Parkinson’s disease in young people?
Me: Genetic factors.
Boss: Okay, what’s the most common cause of Parkinson’s disease in drug users?
Me: Drugs laced with MPTP.
Boss: (narrows eyes). Fine, what’s the most common cause of Parkinson’s disease among the native people of Guam?
Me: …okay, I am totally stumped.
Boss: That would be Lytico-Bodig Disease.
Me: …
Boss: The inhabitants of Guam eat a rare bat, which itself eats a rare plant, which carries a rare neurotoxin in its seeds, and that causes Parkinson’s.
Me: I guess that’s…not too surprising. They traced Ebola to people eating bat meat too
Boss: Really? You know what? I’m going to say it. Eating bat is a bad idea.
Me: (in my head) That depends if we’re talking about saturated bat or unsaturated bat.
