There are curious parallels between the geographic spread of non-rational ideas and biological parasitism -- or phrased differently -- between 
memetic and 
genetic pandemics.  Consider two examples from European history -- the expansion of 
Christianity and the spread of the 
Great Plague (a.k.a. the Black Death) -- as shown in these two maps... 


  Different timescales, points of origin, and mechanisms for transmission + replication + mutation, of course, but nevertheless parallel phenomena for humanity to apply scientific methods on, to ever more thoroughly understand, and to ultimately prevail over.
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