Recent research from scientists at the Institut Pasteur in France has shown that neurons “detect variations in bacterial activity and adapt appetite and body temperature accordingly.”
In short, it’s evidence that shows there’s a connection between the gut and the brain. It’s important to note that the study was performed on mice and not on humans.
The scientists hope this “could lead to new therapeutic approaches for tackling metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity.”
Spinning this way forward and turning it into a story, what if there’s a future where the government introduces mind-control substances into the drinking water?
The story kicks off with an Erin Brokovich-type character rumbling into town on an old, beat-up truck. Her family lives off the land and has been for generations. Their water comes from their wells, so they don’t ingest any of the government’s mind-control substance.
Its common knowledge among her family that the townspeople are “different” than them, and she navigates through the town on her way to visit her brother. He moved there months ago, looking to branch out from their isolated existence.
But, her brother isn’t the same man she knew. There’s something different about him, something off. He’s lost his spark, and his sister is determined to find out what it is.
She finds out that he still eats the same food he buys at a local farmer's market. The only thing different is the water. She tests it, drinks some, and finds herself feeling apathetic.
After going back home and feeling better, she gets a water sample and sends it out for testing in another country. She waits for the results, but they come back with traces of a chemical (maybe Ketamine, which needs some research) that explains her brother’s change.
The story progresses with her trying to get her brother out of the town, and she eventually brings a lawsuit against the local government.
She doesn’t realize the corruption goes all the way to the top. She finds a lawyer from a big city firm in an area that doesn’t have tainted water, and they help her put the entire government on trial. There are death threats, payoff opportunities, and numerous legal hurdles.
In the end, she succeeds in getting the government to remove the substance. But, in a strange twist, the townspeople ask for it back because it made them blissfully unaware of their lack of progress in life.
