Ursus Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 In a bizarre parasitic death sentence, a fungus turns carpenter ants into the walking dead and gets them to die in a spot that's perfect for the fungus to grow and reproduce. http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/200908...trolledbyfungus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmo Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 That's a convincing fungus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Julius Camillus Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Whats with all the zombie stuff? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted August 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Whats with all the zombie stuff? lol Perhaps a commentary on our age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rompe Posted September 5, 2009 Report Share Posted September 5, 2009 Wondering if this is just working on ants, or if any other species (or humans for that fact) injested it, if it would not have some effect on them as well? I read about this and this is one of those facts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neoflash Posted September 5, 2009 Report Share Posted September 5, 2009 Wow. I can do the same thing with rich old people. I take control of their brain and in their last hours of life get them to set-up a meeting at their lawyer's office in order to change their will and make me sole heir and benefiacy of their fortune. Muhahahaha!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylla Posted September 6, 2009 Report Share Posted September 6, 2009 The brains of carpenter ants like Dolichoderus scabridus (the victim of this real insect life drama) have around 260,000-300,000 neurons; considering that the average human brain has like 1,000,000,000 neurons and that most if not all the activity of these ants would be considered automatic in comparison with human psychology, the term "Zombie" is probably not an objective description of the effect of this fungus; after all, the severed head of any ant will continue using its mandibles and antennae for hours. When this ant-killer fungus (Ophio)cordyceps unilateralis is ready to spore, its mycelia enter the ant's brain and change how it perceives pheromones, causing the insect to climb to the top of a plant and use its mandibles to secure itself to the stem. The fungus then kills the ant, and the fruiting bodies of O. unilateralis grow from its head and explode, releasing the spores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornelius_sulla Posted September 6, 2009 Report Share Posted September 6, 2009 In a bizarre parasitic death sentence, a fungus turns carpenter ants into the walking dead and gets them to die in a spot that's perfect for the fungus to grow and reproduce. http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/200908...trolledbyfungus Just like the female of the human species.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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