Your brain has a squatters problem. Ope.

So here's the thing— I was just reading about this, and walaahi, it’s got that classic Minnesota 'nice on the surface, but you know there's something lurking underneath' vibe to it. Turns out, you probably already have a brain-eating virus. Yeah, you heard me right. Not "might get," but "are likely already infected with." It's called the Borna disease virus 1, or BDV-1, and for years, folks thought it was just causing fatal brain infections in people with really messed-up immune systems. But nope, new research is saying that's not the full story.

### Your Brain's Uninvited Guest

This isn't some zombie apocalypse situation, so don't go grabbing your ice skates to head for the North Loop yet. Most of the time, BDV-1 seems to just chill out, doing its own thing without causing a ruckus. But for a small percentage of people, it can cause Borna disease, which is a rare, progressive, and usually fatal inflammation of the brain. The new research is wild because it suggests this virus is way more common than anyone thought, and it can affect people who aren't even immunocompromised.

* BDV-1 is a brain-eating virus.

* Most people are likely already infected.

* It was previously thought to only affect those with severely compromised immune systems.

* New research indicates it's more widespread and can impact others.

It's one of those things that just makes you go, 'Mashallah, the human body is a weird, resilient thing.' You think about all the invisible stuff we navigate every day, from the ice on the sidewalks in January to the pollen clouds in May that make everyone in Minnehaha Park sneeze. To think there's a virus just hanging out in most of our brains, mostly minding its business, it's just... a lot. Makes you wonder what else is happening up there that we don't even know about, doesn't it?

Ope, that's the real Minneapolis — stay warm out there.

You betcha, the morning crew talks about wild stuff like this. Catch 'em live over at mornings.live.