4 New Species of Zombie Ant Fungi Discovered in Brazilian Rainforest *pic*

This is just wild to me...

ETA pic I found.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e813511e68d4.jpg[/atsimg]

ScienceDaily (Mar. 2, 2011) — Four new Brazilian species in the genus Ophiocordyceps have been published in the online journal PLoS ONE. The fungi, named by Dr. Harry Evans and Dr. David Hughes, belong to a group of "zombifying" fungi that infect ants and then manipulate their behavior, eventually killing the ants after securing a prime location for spore dispersal.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6c29dd446287.jpg[/atsimg]

Zombie ants? Truly Sci-fi, and makes one wonder if something similar could occur with humans. In essence these fungi are "driving" the ants like a car to their destination, then pulling a Thelma and Louise by destroying it when they have served their purpose.

You can read more here: www.sciencedaily.com...

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


I was just watching a highlight about this story on tv and all I could think about is all the crazy molds you see on those Hoarder shows in people's homes. I saw something about some toxic molds that do have an effect on the human brain. I cannot remember where but if that is even a little true and they are just finding this stuff, maybe mold is WAY more fascinating than they made it seem in school.

Nice find!

Wow the notion of zombie anything is crazy...because that means there must be a possibility it could happen to humans.

Check out the Cordyceps Fungi from Planet earth. First time I saw it my jaw was on the ground.

Still very cool to see. The rain forest is amazing in it's ability to limit all species. Except us stupid humans, of course, but that's different. We have reason, supposedly, so there must be a damned good reason for ruining the rain forests.

reply to post by Sinnthia


I watch that and know exactly what you are talking about! I can easily imagine some of those folks being "infested" with a myriad of things after seeing some of the mold/fungi growing in their homes.

I found an actual picture of an ant infected with the "zombie fungi". It looks like something out of a cartoon!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e813511e68d4.jpg[/atsimg]

In two sites in the Brazilian rainforest, researchers identified four new species of brain-controlling fungal parasites. These fungi infect carpenter ants and turn them into zombies, directing them to leave their colonies and die in places where the fungi to grow and spread. The zombifying fungus can be seen growing from the top of this dead ant's head.

A strange world indeed.

More pics here: www.livescience.com...

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


Dude this is phenomenal!@ In Chinese Herbology the most expensive herb available is cordyceps sinenesis, which parasitzes the silkworm and shoots its fruit body out of the head, which is in turn collected one of the most powerful Kidney Yang Tonic/Jing tonics there is. Now C. Sinensis grows at high altitudes and in the cold, I am totally interested in this species variant, growing in an entirely different growing zone but still following the parasitizing protocol. Awesome...this stuff fetches a feww hundred bucks per liang (like an ounce) in China presently(also an amazing asthma and training herb)! Great find!

reply to post by TheLoony


Thanks for the video! It never ceases to amaze me how little we know about our rainforests and our oceans. Yet we continue to destroy both... sad situation for sure.

Wow. This is some crazy stuff. The vid and pics are all very interesting but I am not so sure I am as hungry for the oyster mushrooms in my fridge anymore.

I seen a show awhile back.
It involved a parasite that attached itself to a snail.
The parasite then took control of the snail.
Forced the snail to the top of any plant in the middle of the day(when the snail should be hiding)
The parasite moves into one of the snails eyes, forcing the eye to move about until a bird comes to eat that eye. (Leaving the snail to live).
The parasite then mutiplies in the birds stomach,
then gets deposited in the birds droppings(sh%t). Then it gets consumed by a snail and the freaky little process starts all over again.
Nature is weird sometimes.(Most times)

Originally posted by Sinnthia
reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe

 

I was just watching a highlight about this story on tv and all I could think about is all the crazy molds you see on those Hoarder shows in people's homes. I saw something about some toxic molds that do have an effect on the human brain. I cannot remember where but if that is even a little true and they are just finding this stuff, maybe mold is WAY more fascinating than they made it seem in school.

Nice find!

edit on 3-3-2011 by Sinnthia because: (no reason given)

I remember seeing something like what you are talking about. I think the organism lives in cats digestive tracts.

Okay, I went and looked.... here is the name of the critter, toxoplasmosa gondii.

This bug infects rats, but can only breed inside the intestines of a cat. The parasite knows it needs to get the rat inside the cat (yes, we realize this sounds like the beginning of the most #ed-up Dr. Seuss poem ever) so the parasite takes over the rat's freaking brain, and intentionally makes it scurry toward where the cats hang out. The rat is being programmed to get itself eaten, and it doesn't even know Read more: www.cracked.com...

Cracked...Yes Cracked.com

Another more reputable source(not much more, but it is referenced):
Wiki

reply to post by meathed


And there goes my breakfast of pizza rolls.. kidding.

We have a whole weird alien world here the more I think about it. It's some pretty freaky, crazy stuff that happens when mother nature enters the picture.

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


I have got to star and flag this! Thanks OP.

That is one of the wildest things I've ever heard about. Zombie ants controlled by a fungus, damn, maybe the old zombie attack scenario is not so far-fetched or funny after all!.

It's something else, how the natural world just keeps surprising us, isn't it?

Again thanks for this fascinating find! I love stuff like this

reply to post by Sinnthia


It's real Sinn. We got hit by hurricanes in 2004 - charley, frances, and jeanne - and had to move out because of water and wind damage. The health department was warning people whose homes had been compromised by water damage especially in drywalls to be on the lookout for certain molds and fungi that are highly toxic with all sorts of wild and very bad effects on people.

We had what looked like orange Cheetoes growing on the ceilings!

But this zombie fungi takes the cake!

reply to post by mydarkpassenger


It definitely makes it seem more possible at any rate.

I am always glad to know I am not the only one who is fascinated by this stuff. I get weird feeds like this to my phone several times a day. Once in a while a real gem pops up. This one takes the cake though. It still has me amazed.

reply to post by TheLoony


That is cool too

It's like fungi version of the movie "Alien". Thanks for the vid.

Originally posted by Kangaruex4Ewe
reply to post by meathed

 

And there goes my breakfast of pizza rolls..

kidding.

We have a whole weird alien world here the more I think about it. It's some pretty freaky, crazy stuff that happens when mother nature enters the picture.

Alien is right in front of us,
Yeah ,our mother nature, can be scarey and alien.
But the beauty is, that there is still more of earths freakish beauty yet to be discovered.
I cant wait to see what tomorrow will bring for us all.
Ps Pizza rolls for breaky. Id rather eat a zombie ant

How can I get some of this mold? Sometimes my yard gets over-run by ants.

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


Nice Zombieland hear we come! Don't forget to double tap.

Thanks for the post, very interesting S&F

This is some freaky azz stuff, I have to say. The thought of parasites controlling the behavior of their host is really horror story material. What prevents mold from doing this to humans?

Maybe there's some kind of fungus that makes people listen to Bieber?

Originally posted by WickettheRabbit

Maybe there's some kind of fungus that makes people listen to Bieber?

Awesome, I was thinking the same thing!!