Scientists found a type of fungus that may have invaded the body of the wood ant (Camponotus Leonardi) and control their behavior during the last 48 million years.
A parasitic fungus called Ophiocordyceps unilateralist has been proven to intentionally infect ants because the ants that live in plants and trees to be used also by the fungus.
Once the fungus invades the ant's body, he then instructed the insect to bite the bottom of the leaf, right in the veins. Then, when ants are in the optimal location, the fungus then grows rapidly throughout the body of ants.
Finally mushrooms kill the ants 'zombie' whose behavior is controlled as he prepared to deploy new spores.
"When the ants are under control of the fungus, the ant leaves a clear signal called 'bite of death' in the
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/
80beats/files/2010/08/CAntFungus.jpg
leaves," said David Hughes, a researcher from Harvard University, as quoted from Unexplained-Mysteries.
Ants are controlled, Hughes said, biting right in vessels of plants in an effort to find the optimal point for the growth of mold.
From the study, Hughes found that the bite is exactly the same as finding a fossil leaf is 48 million years old. These findings make it sure that the fungus has been the practice of making ants 'zombie' long before humans appeared on Earth.
"We are confident that the fungi that control the ant's brain while it makes the ant bite marks on the leaves," said Hughes. "Because, it is not normal for the ants to bite the leaves right in the veins because the action was no nutritional value for them," he said.
In fact, Hughes says, for the ants, biting right in certain species of vascular plants it is very dangerous because poisonous.
source: http://teknologi.vivanews.com/news/read/197423-semut-jadi-zombie-selama-48-juta-tahun
source: http://wahw33d.blogspot.com/2011/01/jamur-parasit-jadikan-semut-seperti.html # ixzz1XkWCg82J
A parasitic fungus called Ophiocordyceps unilateralist has been proven to intentionally infect ants because the ants that live in plants and trees to be used also by the fungus.
Once the fungus invades the ant's body, he then instructed the insect to bite the bottom of the leaf, right in the veins. Then, when ants are in the optimal location, the fungus then grows rapidly throughout the body of ants.
Finally mushrooms kill the ants 'zombie' whose behavior is controlled as he prepared to deploy new spores.
"When the ants are under control of the fungus, the ant leaves a clear signal called 'bite of death' in the
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/
80beats/files/2010/08/CAntFungus.jpg
leaves," said David Hughes, a researcher from Harvard University, as quoted from Unexplained-Mysteries.
Ants are controlled, Hughes said, biting right in vessels of plants in an effort to find the optimal point for the growth of mold.
From the study, Hughes found that the bite is exactly the same as finding a fossil leaf is 48 million years old. These findings make it sure that the fungus has been the practice of making ants 'zombie' long before humans appeared on Earth.
"We are confident that the fungi that control the ant's brain while it makes the ant bite marks on the leaves," said Hughes. "Because, it is not normal for the ants to bite the leaves right in the veins because the action was no nutritional value for them," he said.
In fact, Hughes says, for the ants, biting right in certain species of vascular plants it is very dangerous because poisonous.
source: http://teknologi.vivanews.com/news/read/197423-semut-jadi-zombie-selama-48-juta-tahun
source: http://wahw33d.blogspot.com/2011/01/jamur-parasit-jadikan-semut-seperti.html # ixzz1XkWCg82J
