Pictured: Could humans be the next victim of the deadly parasite; Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani?
A parasitic fungus has the ability to take over the mind and body of an ant before leading it to its final resting place at the most opportune time, an astonishing study has revealed. The fungus, a species of Ophiocordyceps, was found living in carpenter ants in Thailand's rain forest, controlling their nervous system so they became a vessel with one purpose: helping the fungus reproduce.
Pictured: A carpenter ant, with fungus sprouting from its head. The parasitic fungus, has the ability to take over the mind and body of the ant.
As the fungus spreads through the ant's body it begins to act irregularly before it eventually dies with its jaws clamped around the vein of a leaf in a place perfect for the parasite to thrive, it was found. The fungus eventually sprouts out of the dead ant's head, allowing fungal spores to easily be picked up by other ants, and starting a whole new cycle.
Ants aren’t the only creatures that can become zombiefied. Scientists at Penn State University discovered a virus that infects caterpillar brains and forces them to infect others. The caterpillars would normally return to the ground to hide after feeding on leaves, but the baculovirus reprogrammes them to stay in the trees, melts them, then drips down among the remains to infect more of the creatures.
Sources:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...cience-brazil/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...iscovered.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...high-noon.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/ne...rasitic-fungus
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/sc...er-fungus.html