Opis:
The news cycle has captured the hearts and minds of the public with a sensational headline: Zombie Cicadas! What is the real story about Zombie Cicadas and where did this originate? The media picked-up on an article entitled 'Behavioral Betrayal:How select fungal parasites enlist living insects to do their bidding' published in the journal: PLOS Pathogens. After researching this topic I explain how it is not unheard of for a parasite to take over the mind and body of an organism in order to better reproduce itself. I describe how the rabies virus takes over to increase its spread to suitable hosts. The rabies virus causes an infected animal to drool and foam at the mouth by suppressing swallowing, concentrating virus in the saliva. The animal acts aggressively and begins to wander outside of its normal patterns. All of these things increases the likelihood of the host animal biting another suitable host and spreading the virus from saliva to the blood stream. In insects, specifically Cicadas the massospora fungus takes control of brain and body as well. The spores form in the abdomen of adults and when the abdomen breaks or bursts the cicadas continue to move about...like zombies. The fungus effects the brains of the cicadas as well causing males to mimic the female mating behavior: wing flicking: so males will contact other males passing on spores. The wing flicking in females is exaggerated as well, again increases contact with males and spreading more fungal spores.