What does Cordyceps do to insects?
Cordyceps fungi excel at infecting and killing insects. One particular species, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, has become famous for its ability to turn ants into zombies. It grows through an ant’s body, creating a network of filaments that commandeers the insect’s muscles.
Do Cordyceps infect humans?
Luckily, we don’t need to worry about this sort of thing happening to us. Cordyceps can’t infect humans, as our bodies are better than insects at attacking pathogens. So you can rest easy, knowing you won’t turn into a zombie from these things.
Can zombie ant fungus affect humans?
The fungus, ‘Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato,’ infects ants’ muscles rather than their brains, causing them to hyper-contract. The fungus is not harmful to humans. The article, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Experimental Biology, said that that results in a death grip.
Is there a cure for a zombie bite?
It doesn’t happen very often—and it’s entirely possible a little Neosporin could have halted any number of fictional zombie apocalypses. If someone is bitten, clean the wound thoroughly and disinfect with an antibiotic cream, rubbing alcohol, or a mixture of vinegar, salt, and water if no antibiotics are available.
Can ants turn into zombies?
On Thursday, a team of researchers reported an important new insight into the origin of zombies — in this case, ants zombified by a fungus. Here’s how it works: Sometimes an ant, marching about its business outdoors, will step on a fungal spore.
How did zombifying fungi evolve?
The fossil demonstrated that zombifying fungi have been around a long time. But it didn’t offer any hints as to how the fungus evolved from its ordinary ancestors. “You think, where the hell did that come from?” said Dr. Hughes. He suspected that an answer might be lurking in the diversity of living fungi.
How old is the zombie ant?
In 2010, Dr. Hughes and his colleagues identified a 48-million-year-old fossil of a zombie ant with a death grip on a leaf. The fossil demonstrated that zombifying fungi have been around a long time.