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Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, commonly known as zombie-ant fungus, [2] is an insect-pathogenic fungus, discovered by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1859. Zombie ants, infected by the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus, are predominantly found in tropical rainforests .
The ant clamps its jaws around the plant in a "death grip" and following, mycelia grow from the ant's feet and stitch them to the surface of the plant. [9] The spores released from the ant carcass fall to the ground and infect other ants that come in contact with the spores so that this cycle continues. [ 10 ]
Ants infected with the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis exhibit intricate behaviors: irregularly timed body convulsions cause the ant to drop to the forest floor, [20] from which it climbs a plant up to a certain height [21] before locking its jaws into the vein of one of its leaves answering certain criteria of direction, temperature, and ...
But it can't jump to humans. According to data from Yale School of Medicine , because humans have evolved, and have a high enough body temperature, inhaling this kind of fungal spore has no effect ...
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The newly discovered species, named Gibellula attenboroughii, acts in a similar way as the zombie ant fungus, seemingly manipulating its prey to move to a more suitable spot for the fungus to ...
Some host specialist entomopathogenic fungi have even evolved mechanisms of behavioral manipulation (e.g. Ophiocordyceps unilateralis - Zombie ant fungus) of their hosts. [7] These fungi hijack the insect nervous systems using various secondary metabolites and manipulate insect behavior to move the infected insect to a place which is ...
The game, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by fungus-infected zombie humans, was later adapted into an award-winning TV show starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.