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)

1995 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting (Full Version)
Cost and duration of modern campaigns | US government and civics | Khan Academy

More Articles

View All
Changes in labor supply | Microeconomics | Khan Academy
In a previous video, we took a look at the labor markets, and we thought about it in the context of the entire market and how it might impact a firm. So let’s say that all of a sudden, the nation’s immigration policy changes where they’re willing to bring…
Feeling the Effects of Climate Change | Before the Flood
It’s not about when the entire islands are underwater; it’s well before that. It’s going to be the crisis, and it’s already happening. What we are facing at the moment is severe flooding. It’s gone into the freshwater supply, and that’s how people get the…
Varnas and the Caste System | World History | Khan Academy
In any textbook overview of Hinduism, you will quickly encounter the caste system. The caste system is this notion that people are born into the roles that they have to play in society. Now, the reason why I put this in quotes is because they are associat…
The Spartan Way: How to Unf**k Your Life
What’s the first thought that comes to mind when you think about Spartans? Many of us will conjure up an image of the Battle of Thermopylae, as depicted loosely in the 2007 film 300. The common understanding of the battle is that 300 ruling class Spartan …
Why I Stopped Selling Coffee
What’s up, you guys? It’s Graham here. So, I think it’s about time that we have an open talk about what’s happening with my coffee company. I read all the comments; I see everybody asking for an update. It’s usually one of the first things that people ask…
Extending geometric sequences | Mathematics I | High School Math | Khan Academy
So we’re told that the first four terms of a geometric sequence are given. They give us the first four terms. They say, what is the fifth term in the sequence? And like always, pause the video and see if you can come up with the fifth term. Well, all we …