Zombie Ants....

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upsho...ombie-ants-fall-victim-to-mind-control-fungus

So this is how it begins...

 

[Geneticist]

Allah save us all.

 

[deleted357625]

Every group of species have their mentally challenged/deformed ones ;p

 

[Torr]

I feel like this was already addressed (minus the ants) in an episode of X-files. Anyone remember that one?

 

[Geneticist]

Here's the original article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...fungus-new-species-fungi-bugs-science-brazil/

So basically what happens is a brain sucking fungus uses its telekinetic powers to take over an unsuspecting ant and lead it to its death. Nothin' special here, just fungi being fungi...

This is probably going to give me nightmares though...

 

[blehm98]

i think it's funny that people still regularly link to this as if it is something recently discovered, when the first time i saw something about this was at least 10 years ago...

 

[mmmcdowe]

i think it's funny that people still regularly link to this as if it is something recently discovered, when the first time i saw something about this was at least 10 years ago...

It's actually pretty stunning how often yahoo recirculates "news". Every 3-4 years it seems they repeat a lot of stories.

 

[Wolfman89]

We just talked about this in my evolution and ecology lab today! Crazy stuff!

 

[Geneticist]

This is the first I've heard of it. Probably because 10 years ago I would've been 7 years old and my perception of a zombie ant would have been something like this:

 

[blehm98]

honestly it was probably like 4 or 5 years ago, incidental memories from before junior year of hs tend to blur together into the same time frame. But i've definitely had the same thought two or three times regarding the "mind controlled" insects. there are the ones that make grasshoppers jump into the water, the ones that just make the ant climb up the stalk and sit there until it dies. All under the same label of "mind-control fungus." it's silly

 

[Geneticist]

honestly it was probably like 4 or 5 years ago, incidental memories from before junior year of hs tend to blur together into the same time frame. But i've definitely had the same thought two or three times regarding the "mind controlled" insects. there are the ones that make grasshoppers jump into the water, the ones that just make the ant climb up the stalk and sit there until it dies. All under the same label of "mind-control fungus." it's silly

Oh yeah?

It's all fun and games until you get possessed by a mind controlling fungus.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Yeah, something similar happen to slugs or snails.

 

[Geekchick921]

Yeah, something similar happen to slugs or snails.

I remember seeing a video about that. I think it was a snail, but I also think it was some kind of parasitic flatworm or something, not a fungus, but I'm not sure.

I can't actually see this video on this computer, but I think this is it.
[video=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWB_COSUXMw]

 

[RogueUnicorn]

i have long preached the coming zombie doom to this forum, falling mostly on deaf ears. hopefully now people start realizing the mounting threat.

 

[Geekchick921]

i have long preached the coming zombie doom to this forum, falling mostly on deaf ears. hopefully now people start realizing the mounting threat.

Am I still your second in command? Your Lancer (with a side of Team Mom)? The Zoe to your Mal?

 

[CAS63144]

Incredibly creepy.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Am I still your second in command? Your Lancer (with a side of Team Mom)? The Zoe to your Mal?

we'll be shiny

 

[BBender716]

Planet Earth does a very cool segment on this.