How “zombie fungus” takes over ants, controls their behaviour

WASHINGTON : Scientists have found a“zombie ant fungus”that invades the body of an ant and is able to control its behaviour through its muscles without infecting the insect’s brain.The parasite controls the behaviour of carpenter ant workers, compelling them to climb vegetation and bite into the underside of leaves or twigs, where they die. As the fungus grows in the ant cadaver, it produces a stalk that protrudes from the ant’s head and discharges infectious spores onto the ground below, where they can infect other foraging ants.