The Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus has just one goal: self-propagation and dispersal. To do so, the parasitic fungus hijacks ants ’ bodies, essentially turning them into zombies.

In the dense forests of South America and Southeast Asia, a parasite operates with chilling precision. Ophiocordyceps ...

Hijacking the body of a convenient host is nothing new in the opportunistic world of parasitism. Nor are zombie ants, thanks to the fittingly named zombie-ant fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis), ...

In something straight out of HBO's hit zombie show The Last of Us, a parasite has been found to be able to control the minds of ants, forcing them to do its bidding. The parasites, called lancet liver ...

Parasitic worms that zombify ants to do their bidding might be even more clever than we knew. Recent research has found that these parasites can not only compel ants to climb up blades of grass but ...

In Fearless, Sleepless, Deathless, the naturalist and forager reveals connections between the human and fungal worlds. How did you come to have a passion for fungi? I’m a sucker for the underdog and ...

A glob of 99 million-year-old amber has preserved an ancient fly in horror show fashion: with the mushroom-like fruiting body of zombie fungus bursting forth from its head.The insect, along with a ...

Scientists in Europe have identified a previously unknown species of fungus that turns cave spiders into “zombies.” The fungus lures them out of their webs before instigating an untimely death and ...