Zombie Fungus
The security connection is pretty tenuous, so I figured I’d blog this on a Saturday.
Once it infects an ant, the fungus uses as-yet-unidentified chemicals to control the ant’s behavior, 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.
Craig • March 19, 2011 9:26 AM
Now that the fungus has experimentally demonstrated the feasibility of this project, all that remains is to scale it up to work on humans. Then we will be able to eliminate terrorism and thoughtcrime and inaugurate a millennium of peace and harmony!