Zombies strike fear into our hearts, and if they persist, they eventually get inside our heads. Animals possessed by zombies can no longer control their own bodies or behavior. Instead, they serve the interests of a master, whether it be a virus, fungus, or other harmful agent.

Period “zombie” comes from Vodou, a religion Developed in the Caribbean country of Haiti. But the idea of ​​the army undead, brain-eating human zombies It comes from movies like.Night of the Living Deadtelevision programs such aswalking dead,” and similar video games resident Evil.

This is all fiction. Nature is where we can find real examples of zombification; one organism controls the behavior of another organism.

I study mushroomsA. great biological kingdom This includes molds, molds, yeasts, fungi and zombified fungi. Don’t worry; these “brain-eating organisms” often target insects.

Mushroom Ophiocordyceps unilateralis It infects ants and kills them. Over time, they can reduce the local ant population.

Insect Body Snatchers

One of the most famous examples is the zombie ant fungus. Ophiocordyceps unilateralisIt is part of a larger group known as Cordyceps fungi. This mushroom inspired video game And HBO series“The Last of Us,” in which a widespread fungal infection turns people into zombie-like creatures and causes society to collapse.

In the real world, ants often come into contact with this fungus when spores (pollen-sized reproductive particles produced by the fungus) fall on the ant from a tree or plant. The spores penetrate the ant’s body without killing it.

Once inside, the fungus spreads as a yeast. The ant stops communicating with its nestmates and staggers aimlessly. Eventually he becomes hyperactive.

Eventually the fungus causes the ant to die. climb up herb and locks onto a leaf or stem with its jaws; This behavior is called peaking. The fungus moves to a new stage and consumes all the ant’s organs, including its brain. A stalk grows from the dead insect’s head and produces spores, which fall on healthy ants below and start the cycle again.

Scientists have described numerous species. ophiocordyceps. Each one is tiny, with a very special lifestyle. Some live only in certain regions: for example, Ophiocordyceps salganeicolaa parasite of social cockroaches, only Japan’s Ryukyu Islands. I expect there to be many more species waiting to be discovered in the world.

zombie cicada mushroom, Massospora cicadaIt has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Infects and controls periodic cicadasare cicadas that live underground and emerge briefly to mate in 13- or 17-year cycles.

The fungus gives the cicadas energy and allows them to fly around, even as it consumes and replaces their rear ends and abdomens. This long-term “active host” behavior is rare in insect-invading fungi. massospora There are members of the family that target flies, moths, centipedes, and soldier bugs, but they too cause their hosts to peak and die, just like ants. ophiocordyceps.

Real Fungal Threats

These various pathological partnerships (relationships that result in death) have formed and developed over millions of years of evolution. A fungus that specializes in infecting and controlling ants or cicadas would need to develop vast new tools over millions of years before it could infect another closely related insect, let alone a human.

In my research, I collected and examined hundreds of living and dead zombie cicadas, as well as countless fungus-infested insects, spiders, and centipedes. I examined hundreds of samples and uncovered fascinating aspects of their biology. Despite this prolonged exposure, I still control my own behavior.

some mushrooms threatens human health. Examples include: Aspergillus fumigatus And Cryptococcus neoformansBoth can invade people’s lungs and cause severe pneumonia-like symptoms. Cryptococcus neoformans It can spread outside the lungs to the central nervous system and cause symptoms such as neck stiffness, vomiting, and sensitivity to light.

Invasive fungal diseases on the rise worldwide. So do common fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot (athlete’s foot), which occurs between your toes, and ringworm, which, despite its name, is a rash caused by a fungus.

Fungi thrive in constantly warm and wet environments. you can protect yourself against many things them showering after sweating or getting dirty and not sharing gym clothes or towels with others.

Not all mushrooms are scary, and even the alarming ones won’t turn you into the walking dead. The closest you can get to a zombified mushroom is watching horror movies or playing video games.

If you’re lucky you might find a zombie ant or flying around your own neighborhood. And if you think they’re cool, you can be a scientist like me and spend your life looking for them.

Matt Kasson is an associate professor of Mycology and Plant Pathology at West Virginia University. This article is republished from: Speech under one Creative Commons license. Read original article.