[quote]This is surreal.
Four new species of the zombifying fungi, members of the Ophiocordyceps (or just Cordyceps) genus have apparently been discovered. These fungi are the sworn enemy of tropical ants and other insects, infecting them and causing their unusual behavior, according to Mongabay.
From LiveScience:
Once it infects an ant, the fungus uses as-yet-unidentified chemicals to control the ant's behavior, [study researcher David] Hughes told LiveScience. It directs the ant to leave its colony (a very un-ant-like thing to do) and bite down on the underside of a leaf -- the ant's soon-to-be resting place. Once it is killed by the fungus, the ant remains anchored in place, thanks to its death grip on the leaf.
Ultimately, the fungus produces a long stalk that protrudes from the ant's head, shooting spores out in the hopes of infecting other ants. Two of the four newly discovered species also sprouted smaller stalks elsewhere, including from the victim's feet and lower leg joints - the equivalent of knees.
The video below, from Planet Earth, gives an incredible time-lapsed view of what Cordyceps fungi can do.
The discovery of these four new Cordyceps species, each specific to a different ant in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, will help scientists study the role of zombie fungi in a degraded habitat, reports Mongabay. The initial paper on the new fungi was published in the open-access journal, PloS ONE.[/quote]
[media]http://i.huffpost.com/gen/253237/thumbs/r-ZOMBIE-CREATING-FUNGI-large570.jpg[/media]
[quote]Video and Source:[url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/02/zombie-creating-fungi-cordyceps_n_830558.html[/url][/quote]
God damn zombie ants.
OH FUCK I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN ALL ALONG
c
[editline]8th March 2011[/editline]
Time to prepare
It seems so science fiction-y, the whole concept
so it begins
Holy shit what the fuck.
:tinfoil:
Preparing for a mutated airborne strain that targets humans.
I like this more because this article is actually 1-2 years old. Its like a blast from the not-so-far away past.
I'm still waiting for a type of fungus that spreads from insect to insect via bites and stings. One could theoretically wipe out a problematic ant colony in their house by purchasing an infected ant and setting it loose in the anthole.
I thought this is years old?
Just noticed the date.
Saw on a front page of huffington so I thought it was new.
As long as it only infects ants we are fine.
Why does my sleeping cat have a strange looking hat.
That is really creepy to watch.
That's so fucking awesome. Damn nature!
Its amongs bugs....for now.You wake up and your neighbor is one of 'em...
It's an ant, it doesn't have much of a brain.
Yeah, I read about this ages ago, it's nothing new.
This is so old I almost shit myself
The fungus has a role in biodiversity or whatever it is, it keeps the ant populations down, and other insect populations. It's not like.. what you think
Anyway watch [b]Planet Earth[/b] (~10episode series, high budget), it has a lot of very fascinating stuff about animals in there, including this zombie-fungus.
It's mind blowing, and here is one example why you should definitely watch it
One animal in particular was this [b]spider who climbed down the throat of a tall, flesh eating plant, in search for food.[/b]
To make things more tricky, there was acid on the bottom of the plant, for digestion, but the clever motherfucking spider popped out an air-bubble acting as an air tank and dived into the acid and stole the drowned insects. Now that's an interesting way to make a living if you ask me! (And they got the WHOLE thing on video, fucking unbelievable)
I thought this was gonna be another one of those baddage boys threads
I've known about the cordyceps for years. Thankfully there are no strains that can affect anything more complex than an insect or arthropod. God help us if Umbrella gets their hands on it, though.
oh fuck i forgot about these creepy fuckers goddamnit
The Huffington Post should really stick to biased politics, the "science" articles they've been releasing (especially with headlines like that) are really horrible.
This has been known for years.
lol who am i kidding i hate them in general, carry on
God, why do mushrooms even exist? These ugly buggers are just ugly and scary.
[QUOTE=tomatmann;28498020]God, why do mushrooms even exist? These ugly buggers are just ugly and scary.[/QUOTE]
And they taste like shit... I mean, I'm a fun guy, but I don't like Fungi in my food.
As old as this is, it is still awesome.
Those ants are fucking disgusting. I hate ants. And spiders.
I for one welcome the new fungi overlord.
Fungi give me the creeps sometimes, but this is just terror.
[QUOTE=HazeFyer23;28495363]OH FUCK I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN ALL ALONG
c
[editline]8th March 2011[/editline]
Time to prepare[/QUOTE]
You're too [b]late[/b]
[QUOTE=tomatmann;28498020]God, why do mushrooms even exist? These ugly buggers are just ugly and scary.[/QUOTE]
Because they're magical.
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