Scientists find two new species of fungi that turn flies into 'zombies'

boing
1

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/12/17/scientists-find-two-new-species-of-fungi-that-turn-flies-into-zombies.html

…

2

3 Likes
3

Fungus will be the next overlords

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/606952-largest-living-organism

Beatrix Potter was a mycologist

4

Can’t wait till it crosses over to humans:

5

"We suspect therefore that these fungi may produce amphetamine-like substances which keep a fly’s energy levels high up until the end”

I just finished reading ‘12 Seconds of Silence’ about the effort to build a proximity fuse for more effectively and efficiently shooting down enemy planes and V1’s in WW2. Very interesting read.

Anyway, the description of the Battle of the Bulge near the end of the war described the German soldiers (which at this point included young boys and old men) as absolutely crazed maniacs just running into battle. It spooked the Allied troops so much that many of them fled. Anyway, all that to say the above quote sounds a whole lot like the Nazi’s documented use of amphetatimes.

6

This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.