yego.me
yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

'Zombie' Parasite Cordyceps Fungus Takes Over Insects Through Mind Control | National Geographic

less than 1m read
·Nov 11, 2024

Fungi and slime molds race to decompose dead matter on the forest floor. Many spread by releasing spores up to thirty thousand a second. (scary music)

If just one of these spores lands in the right place, and takes root, it can colonize a whole new area. (scary music)

But not all fungi feed on the dead. (scary music) Days ago, a spore landed on this ant, now she's acting strange. A network of roots has infiltrated her muscles. Her body has been taken over by cordyceps, a parasitic fungus. It floods her brain with chemicals, drugging her, compelling her to head where conditions are perfect. (scary music)

Just the right amount of light. Just the right amount of humidity for the parasite growing inside. It forces her to clamp down in a death bite. And cordyceps reveals its gruesome nature. (scary music)

After three weeks of growth, cordyceps can release its own spores. Infecting more ants. Releasing more spores. Infecting more ants. Releasing more spores. Infecting more ants. Infecting more ants. More ants. More ants. More ants. (scary music)

Cordyceps can wipe out entire ant colonies. But more than just ants are at risk. (scary music)

There are over six hundred species of cordyceps spread across the world. Most are found in jungles where they prey on a whole host of victims. (scary music)

Buy REAL Dino Teeth! ... and more! LÜT #20
Grand Opening Of My First Restaurant Ever l Blue Bovine

More Articles

View All
Organelles in eukaryotic cells | The cellular basis of life | High school biology | Khan Academy
What we’re going to do in this video is give ourselves a little bit of a tour of eukaryotic cells. The first place to start is just to remind ourselves what it means for a cell to be eukaryotic. It means that the inside of the cell there are membrane-boun…
Distance or arc length from angular displacement | AP Physics 1 | Khan Academy
We’re going to do in this video is try to draw connections between angular displacement and notions of arc length or distance traveled. So, right over here, let’s imagine I have some type of a tennis ball or something, and it is tethered with a rope to s…
How Hard Can You Hit a Golf Ball? (at 100,000 FPS) - Smarter Every Day 216
Three, two, one. Oh, wow, that was loud! - That was way louder than I thought. Hey, it’s me, Destin. Welcome back to Smarter Every Day. Today’s question is fascinating. How hard can you hit a golf ball? That seems like a really simple question, but it’s …
What's The Most Dangerous Place on Earth?
Hey, Vsauce. Michael here. 93% of all the humans who have ever lived are dead. For every person alive right now, there are 15 people who are no longer alive. The Earth is dangerous… but where is the most dangerous place on Earth? Ignoring freak occurrenc…
Introduction to reaction quotient Qc | Chemical equilibrium | Chemistry | Khan Academy
Today, we’re going to be talking about the reaction quotient Q. In this video, I’m going to go over how you calculate Q and how you use it. We’re going to start with an example reaction between sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas, which will react with oxygen gas. …
I read 100 Philosophical Books. Here's the best one.
I remember feeling completely aimless in high school. None of my classes felt particularly meaningful to me. I would sit in class, stare straight ahead, and my mind would often just wander. At home, I would try to avoid thinking too much by playing video …