Comments on: Fungi turn ants into zombies. (need I say more?)

By: jessica miller

jessica miller — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 23:32:21 +0000

yall need mo info i cant do nun with this and if i could i would not be sending you this important rude message yall can do better i know yall can so if u can just read this in a lovely manner ill be happy as a hopping kangaroo

By: Calian

Calian — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:40:09 +0000

I agree with the second comment by ‘Jr’, at least on the point that the “experiment” carried out does certainly not prove that the fungus “posseses” the ant.

The fact that the fungus grows best at 25cm above the ground could also be simply because that is where the ants take it most of the time; therefore it has evolved to cope best when growing at that level. This also explains why 100% of the ants don’t go to this level- simply because they don’t make the journey; after all, why would a fungus that has evolved to take over an organism get it wrong?

Seeing as this is far simpler then the idea of ants being pre-mortisly possesed, I would think it stands better as a theory (Ockams Razor) that also supports Hughes’ findings.

By: Twitter Trackbacks for EcoTone » Blog Archive » Fungi turn ants into zombies. (need I say more?) [esa.org] on Topsy.com

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:22:45 +0000

[...] EcoTone » Blog Archive » Fungi turn ants into zombies. (need I say more?) http://www.esa.org/esablog/?p=1608 – view page – cached A stroma, or spore-releasing body, of a killer fungus grown out of the head of a victim ant. Image courtesy David Hughes and with thanks to Science News. A stroma, or spore-releasing body, of a killer fungus grows out of the head of a victim ant. Image courtesy David Hughes and with thanks to Science News. — From the page [...]

By: ResearchBlogging.org News » Blog Archive » Editor’s Selections: Invasions, Zombies, and Dingoes (that didn’t eat my baby)

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:12:49 +0000

[...] Mills at Ecotone discusses recent work on fungus controlled zombie ants. I kid you [...]

By: Kye Swenson

Kye Swenson — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:44:49 +0000

100 years. That would have to be the biggest killing machine ever. I also feel that the ants must be adapting to the fungus on some level. If not, wouldn’t there be a possiblity of some ants in these areas becoming extinct?

By: Jr

Jr — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:17:01 +0000

How do we know that this is not in fact an adaption on part of the ant? Shouldn’t it be better for the fungus if the ant died in the nest so there were plenty of ants nearby that the fungus could spread to?

By: Neuroskeptic

Neuroskeptic — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:05:25 +0000

When I said mushrooms were going to take over the world, they laughed at me. But who's laughing now?