Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis, a Really Long Way to Say “Zombie-Ant Fungus”

Want to never sleep again? Imagine an ant. Now imagine all the muscles, nerves, and organs inside that tiny thing. Now imagine an even tinier spore colony propagating inside that tiny little ant. That's Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, and that's what we're here to talk about today. Every week on Stranger Still, we take the questions you've never questioned to ask and try to answer them. We want to make you laugh and teach you something interesting at the same time. So join us every Wednesday for another fun filled learn! If you've got a strange question you want answered ask us on Facebook, tweet us @StrangerStill, or drop us an email at podcast@strangerstillshow.com Sources: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants-bodies-to-control-their-minds/545864/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/04/cordyceps-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants/#close https://www.livescience.com/47751-zombie-fungus-picky-about-ant-brains.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/science/ant-zombies-fungus.html?auth=login-email&login=email https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/sciencecommunication/2014/09/17/zombifying-fungi/ https://www.uksafari.com/curse_of_the_zombie_spiders.htm#:~:text=It's%20an%20entomopathogenic%20fungus%2C%20which,rapidly%20infect%20other%20spiders%20nearby https://whatifshow.com/what-if-you-were-infected-by-the-cordyceps-fungus/