'Zombie' Parasite Cordyceps Fungus Takes Over Insects Through Mind Control | National Geographic
Why Hacker News recommends it
Cited as a vivid example of parasites controlling host behavior whenever zombie-fungus comparisons come up.
What it is
National Geographic footage showing the cordyceps fungus infecting ants and other insects and steering their behavior so it can reproduce.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2020 to 2023.
What Hacker News said
Cites Reedx · 2020-03 · on “NBA suspends season over the coronavirus after player tests positive”
There's a parasitic fungus that does this with insects. It takes over, compelling the host to move to a location where the fungus can reproduce. [this video]
Cites tomasreimers · 2020-08 · on ““Zombie cicadas” infected with mind-controlling fungus return to West Virginia”
The mind-controlling--probably a better phrase for them is "behavior altering"--class of parasites are fascinating from an academic sense... and nightmare fuel from a day-to-day sense. Two additional cases which I remember studying in school are: (1) A parasitic worm which causes snails to climb to clearly visible positions so that birds can eat them. These snails are usually avoidant of those positions, and so this is clear behavior alteration. ( [LINK] ) (2) A parasitic fungus which takes over ants, causing them to climb up high and then bite (!!! this means it can affect specific muscle movements) into a plant, before bursting from the body and spreading spores ( [this video] , apologies for t
Cites Borrible · 2023-05 · on “Examining puppeteer fungus' targeted takeover of zombie flies”
Entomophthora muscae is not the last of them with all the gifts. There is also Ophiocordyceps unilateralis for example: [this video] Cordyceps sinensis on the other hand, another entomopathogenic fungus parasitizing larvae of ghost moths, is one of the most famous traditional Chinese medicines and medicinal mushrooms.