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)

Average velocity and speed worked example | One-dimensional motion | AP Physics 1 | Khan Academy
Ecosystems and biomes | Ecology and natural systems | High school biology | Khan Academy

More Articles

View All
The Science of Thinking
For most of us, thinking is at least somewhat unpleasant. We try to avoid it, where possible. For example: I asked these guys how long does it take for the earth to go around the Sun. What do you reckon, cuz? Isn’t it 24 hours? Obviously a day, yes. O…
Collecting Poop to Save a National Park | Expedition Raw
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to putting my finger up a water box anus. Alright buddy, okay, I wouldn’t apologize. Yeah, and it’s one less thing you has to become self at all. We want to know what effect the animals are having on this ecosystem, and to…
Points inside/outside/on a circle | Mathematics I | High School Math | Khan Academy
A circle is centered at the point C which has the coordinates -1, -3 and has a radius of six. Where does the point P, which has the coordinates -6, -6, lie? We have three options: inside the circle, on the circle, or outside the circle. The key realizati…
How to Get Rich in 2022
In this video, I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned from studying how to build wealth, as well as the practical lessons from my own wealth building journey. This advice and knowledge has helped me build a net worth of over $300,000, having just t…
Safari Live - Day 276 | National Geographic
This program features live coverage of an African safari and may include animal kills and carcasses. Viewer discretion is advised. Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to Open Skies in the Maasai Mara! You can see there’s a few little puffy clouds in t…
The mole and Avogadro's number | Moles and molar mass | High school chemistry | Khan Academy
In a previous video, we introduced ourselves to the idea of average atomic mass, which we began to realize could be a very useful way of thinking about a mass at an atomic level or at a molecular level. But what we’re going to do in this video is connect …