'Zombie ants' sound straight out of a science fiction novel: They’re real.
Published 7:13 PM EDT Jul 23, 2019A fungus is turning carpenter ants into unwitting hosts until they die and decompose, according to a new study from Pennsylvania State University researchers.
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. Ants infected by the fungus climb to elevated places and bite onto vegetation, becoming permanently affixed, the team found. This means that after the ant dies, the fungus can continue to grow and then emerge from the ant's body, sometimes in the form of fungal stalks.An ant walks across a leaf avoiding droplets of rain water.The team studied the fungus and its effects on ants by using a strain found in South Carolina.
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