Zombie cicadas infected with mind-controlling fungus return to West Virginia

I've heard of a few different parasitic mind.controlling species, but this one is something else.

www.cbsnews.com...

Humans aren't the only ones susceptible to the psychedelic chemicals found in magic mushrooms. "Zombie cicadas" — under the influence of a parasitic fungus — have reemerged in West Virginia to infect their friends, and now scientists have a better understanding of how it happens

When a male cicada is infected with Massospora, researchers found it flicks its wings like a female, a known mating call. This behavior attracts healthy male cicadas, facilitating the spread of the fungus, which contains chemicals including psilocybin, found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.

So...basically, this fungus infects ciquadas, floods their brain with psilocybin to keep them tripping out makes male ciquadas perform female mating calls to attract other males which are then infected and they themselves wander around tripping balls, turning into tranny ciquadas and infecting others.

Imagine how horrifying it would be if there was a contagious parasitic fungus that infects people, floods their brain with psilocybin and makes them do things?

Mushrooms and fungus fascinate me, but sometimes I wonder just how intelligent they really are. Much of the life on earth wouldn't exist without them.

The world's oldest and largest lifeform is a massive fungus. and most forests are interconnected through massive fungal Mycorrhizal networks that pass information and nutrients throughout the forests.

a reply to: dug88
So "traps" isn't a human phenomenon, interesting

First Murder Hornets...Now Zombie Cicadas.
Looks like the apocalypse is definitely upon us.

a reply to: dug88

I have always known about the intelligence these fungi have. They communicate- or control things with these compounds.. Psilocybin is only one of many tools they use.

originally posted by: dug88
I've heard of a few different parasitic mind.controlling species, but this one is something else.
www.cbsnews.com...
...
Imagine how horrifying it would be if there was a contagious parasitic fungus that infects people, floods their brain with psilocybin and makes them do things?

Can you say CORDYCEPS?

See The Girl With All The Gifts on Wikipedia

I've not seen the movie, but I did read the book (which pretty much is always better than the movie, anyway). It's about a mutation of the cordyceps fungus that infects humans and takes over the entire race. It is one of the most horrifying books I have ever read.





Forget /r/nosleep and Stephen King novels. Read this. Much more terrifying.
:

a reply to: incoserv
This. This is what's capable of giving me nightmares.

Imagine the matrix simulation, but its fungus instead of A.I. ruling us

I'm here to tell all fellows here that if you get bit by one clear your evening because you'll be in contact with God for a good couple of hours. You'll probably be the most happy the day after. Very refreshing. The only thing you'll have to fear is ego itself.

I welcome all mushroom insects into my house provided they're of the positive variety.

a reply to: Nivhk

Space pods. Been there, done that.

But who could ever forget Attack of the Mushroom People. (They aren't talking about what you think they are, most of those guys walking around cow pastures are harmless.)

originally posted by: IAMTAT
First Murder Hornets...Now Zombie Cicadas.
Looks like the apocalypse is definitely upon us.

Murder hornets never really took off, there was a need for a backup plan. I hear sodomy geese are coming soon.

a reply to: Phage

You're such a cinephile😆

My question is why the mushrooms are doing this to help us. I guess we have imbibed their substances for so long that they know us by now and just kinda hate those noisy lil bastards. I kid a lot sometimes but Im serious here.

originally posted by: incoserv

originally posted by: dug88
I've heard of a few different parasitic mind.controlling species, but this one is something else.
www.cbsnews.com...
...
Imagine how horrifying it would be if there was a contagious parasitic fungus that infects people, floods their brain with psilocybin and makes them do things?

Can you say CORDYCEPS?

See The Girl With All The Gifts on Wikipedia

I've not seen the movie, but I did read the book (which pretty much is always better than the movie, anyway). It's about a mutation of the cordyceps fungus that infects humans and takes over the entire race. It is one of the most horrifying books I have ever read.

Forget /r/nosleep and Stephen King novels. Read this. Much more terrifying.
:

Before I press buy now on the kindle store, I'm pretty (very) battle hardened when it comes to shocking/terrifying books. Are you is the question?
Thanks

originally posted by: dug88

Imagine how horrifying it would be if there was a contagious parasitic fungus that infects people, floods their brain with psilocybin and makes them do things?

I mean...
It would explain a lot about these riots we're seeing.

originally posted by: a325nt

originally posted by: dug88

Imagine how horrifying it would be if there was a contagious parasitic fungus that infects people, floods their brain with psilocybin and makes them do things?

I mean...
It would explain a lot about these riots we're seeing.

rioting is the furthers thing from your mind when trippin on shrooms. It's one of the more peaceful conduits to the chapel.

a reply to: olaru12

Weed is legal in Oregon. That must be it.

originally posted by: olaru12

originally posted by: a325nt

originally posted by: dug88

Imagine how horrifying it would be if there was a contagious parasitic fungus that infects people, floods their brain with psilocybin and makes them do things?

I mean...
It would explain a lot about these riots we're seeing.

rioting is the furthers thing from your mind when trippin on shrooms. It's one of the more peaceful conduits to the chapel.

Depends on the ratio of the compounds within the specimen, amount taken, and the vessel that is taking them, among other things.

I would describe it more like throwing a dice. You win some, you lose some.

Neurogenesis is sweet tho..

But then there is a chance you become a Christian, happened to a friend of mine, has been a hardcore believer ever since.

originally posted by: FinallyAwake
Before I press buy now on the kindle store, I'm pretty (very) battle hardened when it comes to shocking/terrifying books. Are you is the question?
Thanks

I'd say yes, I am. It's the stuff that is potentially real that gets under my skin. I don't react to the boogeyman-man stuff, movie or book. Slasher stories and jump-scares have little to no effect on me. This is just on the edge of feasible, so I found it to be somewhat disturbing. Not on a "scream-and-run-like-a-school-girl" level, but on a more of a "oh-crap-that-could-feasibly-happen-and-it'd-suck" level. It's the kind of story that makes you think, and makes you more aware of how dangerous and hostile the world that we live in really is.

The idea of Cordyceps mutating and doing what it does in the book is admittedly out there, but both flora and fauna mutate. Not possible? We'd sure like to think so! But, then, we collectively hide like frightened children from a virus with a lower mortality rate than a seasonal influenza while most of us jump in our automobiles and drive down the highway every day while ignoring the unavoidable and inherent statistically high possibility of injury or death because we are so adept at lying to ourselves.

If you do buy it, lemme know what you think.

:

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: olaru12

Weed is legal in Oregon. That must be it.

It's like deja Vu all over again. "Reefer Madness"

originally posted by: dug88
Mushrooms and fungus fascinate me, but sometimes I wonder just how intelligent they really are.

This ^. If the fungus is actually making the cicadas flick their wings to attract mates, doesn't that imply that the fungus has intelligence (or is controlled by an intelligence)? That's some kind of abstract planning or something. I mean, this isn't a matter of for example a venus flytrap knowing to close because it can sense the presence of a fly inside it, which doesn't require intelligence... This is one thing, a fungus, knowing what other things (cicadas) will think by making them flap their wings in a specific way to attract mates to infect.

a reply to: trollz


Their not the only ones either..

Not that I can talk much on ATS about this...but compared to say lsd or other synthetic hallucinogens, or even plant derived ones, psilocybin is the only one that's made me feel like 'something' is there, wiser and bigger than me.

ETA: oh...I never realized lowercasing it would bypass ATS' '___' censor...you'd think they woulda considered that in their filtering...a simple regex woulda covered that.