Current Events > Zombie ants are horrifying. It is worse than a zombie movie. trigger warning

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TIL that the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (zombie fungus) doesn't control ants by infecting their brain. Instead it destroys the motor neurons and connects directly to the muscles to control them. The brain is made into a prisoner in its own body

Over the course of a week, it compels the ant to leave the safety of its nest and ascend a nearby plant stem. It stops the ant at a height of 25 centimetersa zone with precisely the right temperature and humidity for the fungus to grow. It forces the ant to permanently lock its mandibles around a leaf. Eventually, it sends a long stalk through the ants head, growing into a bulbous capsule full of spores. And because the ant typically climbs a leaf that overhangs its colonys foraging trails, the fungal spores rain down onto its sisters below, zombifying them in turn

https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/surn08/til_that_the_fungus_ophiocordyceps_unilateralis/

This was the same stuff from The Last of Us wasn't it? Been a while since I played it.

I know that this is a fungus but I hate parasites like this

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

This was the same stuff from The Last of Us wasn't it? Been a while since I played it.

nah, I pretty sure they brain was infected and the person was basically dead

this is worse because the brain is still alive and the body still keeping it alive

I wonder if the ant is in a dream or they see themselves moving but cannot do anything

I first learned about this when I read about it being the inspiration for the fungus in The Last of Us. It's certainly creepy.

https://youtu.be/4a6YdNmK77k

so in theory there is a chance something like this might one day infect humans

I guess, that is good reason to hope a God exists who loves humans and would prevent such a thing

that is so you can sleep at night lol

Hmm, I didnt know about it directly connecting to the muscles and bypassing the brain. Though using the terms muscles and brain on an insect are a little generous.

Welcome to mother nature TC! There also exist a wasp that basically does something similar to this. I forgot the name of it but it can control any insect and use it's body as a host for it's children, even busting out of them like a xenomorph.

WingsOfGood posted...

so in theory there is a chance something like this might one day infect humans

After the coronavirus pandemic, nothing surprises me, especially when it comes to people eating iffy shit. I could absolutely see someone being like yeah Im gonna eat some ants, yum yum and it somehow contributing to this being spread to humans.

WingsOfGood posted...

so in theory there is a chance something like this might one day infect humans

I guess, that is good reason to hope a God exists who loves humans and would prevent such a thing

that is so you can sleep at night lol

Not exactly the same but Rabies is a similar kind of idea if you think about it and can infect humans. It's not a fungus but similarly it causes a variety of weirdly specific symptoms to propagate itself to others. The virus thrives in saliva so one thing it does is cause a severe fear of water in hosts so that your saliva will accumulate more. And it causes the host animal to be extremely violent so that you're more likely to bite other things and spread that rabies-saliva around.

Here's some more cool ones:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior-altering_parasite

Cordyceps in general are freaky and interesting at the same time.

Kuuko posted...

Not exactly the same but Rabies is a similar kind of idea if you think about it and can infect humans.

I saw a video on Reddit of some older dude who was experiencing the water aversion. He was in the hospital and had a cup of water and whenever he would try to drink it he would gag and couldn't do it. Apparently at that point it's way too late and the dude will die from rabies.

I've always wondered what the endgame of cordyceps is. So it gets the ant to be eaten by a bigger fish, which is then eaten by a bigger fish... and then? To what end?

Tobi011 posted...

Welcome to mother nature TC! There also exist a wasp that basically does something similar to this. I forgot the name of it but it can control any insect and use it's body as a host for it's children, even busting out of them like a xenomorph.

Tarantula hawk aka Cazadores from Fallout New Vegas

saspa posted...

I've always wondered what the endgame of cordyceps is. So it gets the ant to be eaten by a bigger fish, which is then eaten by a bigger fish... and then? To what end?

Over the course of a week, it compels the ant to leave the safety of its nest and ascend a nearby plant stem. It stops the ant at a height of 25 centimetersa zone with precisely the right temperature and humidity for the fungus to grow. It forces the ant to permanently lock its mandibles around a leaf. Eventually, it sends a long stalk through the ants head, growing into a bulbous capsule full of spores. And because the ant typically climbs a leaf that overhangs its colonys foraging trails, the fungal spores rain down onto its sisters below, zombifying them in turn.

I took that from the reddit post which took it from a linked article. The only goal is for it to spread.

Edit: The actual article that caused the reddit post.
https://bit.ly/3JENEHZ

Alteres posted...

Hmm, I didnt know about it directly connecting to the muscles and bypassing the brain. Though using the terms muscles and brain on an insect are a little generous.

how does an ant move if you think they have no muscles?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT774hw8YxU