July 08, 2026 1:23 PM ET After YouTuber Rusty Cage found a lone star tick on his body, he went viral for documenting his repeated attempts to kill the bug over 16 days. Online groups and even some academics have speculated that Bill Gates genetically altered the lone star tick to carry a red meat allergy called alpha-gal syndrome as a bioweapon. At least 15,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Cage’s attempt to kill the tick showed that it is not only potentially harmful but also extremely resilient. (RELATED: Could A Tick-Borne Meat Allergy Be A Bioweapon? We Tried Finding Out)Cage began by submerging the tick in water to see how long it would survive. After day five, it was still moving. By the end of the