Could a zombie apocalypse brought on by fungi, like Cordyceps from “The Last of Us,” actually occur? – Jupiter, age 15, Ithaca, New York
Zombies strike fear into our hearts – and in the event that they persist, eventually they enter our heads. Animals possessed by zombies not have control over their bodies or behavior. Instead, they serve the interests of a master, be it a virus, fungus or other harmful agent.
the term “both” comes from Voodoo, a religion that developed in the Caribbean country of Haiti. But the idea of armies Undead, brain-eating human zombies comes from movies, such as “Night of the Living Dead“Television shows like “The Walking DeadAnd video games like Resident Evil.
All these are fictitious. Nature is where we are able to find real examples of zombification – one organism controlling the behavior of one other organism.
i read Fungusa big biological kingdom that features molds, mildews, yeasts, mushrooms, and zombifying fungi. Don't worry – these “brain-eating creatures” goal insects.
Insects take away the body
One of probably the most famous examples is the zombie ant fungus, which is a component of a bigger group often called Cordyceps fungi. This fungus infected. Video game And The HBO series “The Last of Us,” wherein a widespread fungal infection turns people into zombie-like creatures and causes society to collapse.
In the true world, ants normally come into contact with the fungus when spores — the pollen-sized reproductive particles that make up the fungus — fall on an ant from a tree or plant. The spores penetrate the ant's body without killing it.
Once inside, the fungus proliferates in yeast form. The ant stops communicating with the nest and wanders around aimlessly. Eventually it becomes hyperactive.
Finally, the fungus causes ant Climbing a plant and shut a leaf or stem with its jaws – a behavior called smiting. The fungus transforms right into a recent stage and eats the ant's organs, including its brain. A stalk sprouts from the dead insect's head and produces spores, which fall on the healthy ants below, starting the cycle again.
Matt Cason, CC BY-ND
Scientists have described quite a few kinds of it. Each is small, with a really specific lifestyle. Some live only in certain areas: for instance, a parasite of the social cockroach, found only in Ryukyu Islands of Japan. I expect there are various more species waiting to be discovered world wide.
The zombie cicada fungus, too, has gained a variety of attention lately. It infects and controls periodic cicadas, that are cicadas that live underground and briefly emerge to mate in 13- or 17-year cycles.
The fungus keeps cicadas moving and flying, until it eats away and replaces their hind-ends and abdomens. This prolonged “active host” behavior is rare amongst fungi that attack insects. They have members of the family that prey on flies, moths, millipedes, and soldier beetles, but they overwhelm their hosts and die, as do ants.
The Real Dangers of Fungal
These diverse morbid partnerships – the relationships that result in death – were formed and refined over hundreds of thousands of years of evolutionary time. A fungus that makes a speciality of infecting and controlling ants or cicadas would should evolve massive recent tools over hundreds of thousands of years to contaminate another insect, let alone a human. .
In my research, I even have collected and handled lots of of live and dead zombie cicadas, in addition to countless fungus-infected insects, spiders, and millipedes. I even have dissected lots of of specimens and uncovered fascinating features of their biology. Despite this long exposure, I’m still in charge of my behavior.
Matt Cason, CC BY-ND
Some fungi There is a threat to human health. Examples include and, each of which may invade people's lungs and cause serious symptoms equivalent to pneumonia. Can spread beyond the lungs to the central nervous system and cause symptoms equivalent to neck stiffness, vomiting and sensitivity to light.
There are invasive fungal diseases. Booming around the world. So are common fungal infections, equivalent to athlete's foot — a rash between your toes — and ringworm, a rash that, despite its name, is brought on by a fungus.
Fungi at all times thrive in warm and humid environments. you may Protect yourself from many of them. By showering after you might be sweaty or dirty and never sharing sports equipment or towels with other people.
Not all fungi are scary, and even the scary ones won't turn you into the walking dead. You're more likely to come into contact with the zombifying fungus by watching scary movies or playing video games.
If you're lucky, you may discover a zombie ant or bee in your personal neighborhood. And if you happen to think they're good, you may grow to be a scientist like me and spend your life on the lookout for them.