Before Humans, a Fungus Was Making Zombies: A 99-Million-Year-Old Fly Found Trapped in Amber Proves It
In 100-million-year-old amber from Myanmar, scientists discovered a scene straight out of a horror movie: a fly and an ant, both frozen in time with fungus bursting through their heads. The twisted growths are the fruiting bodies of an ancient fungus called Ophiocordyceps, the same kind that still takes over ants' minds today, turning them into real-life 'zombies' before killing them.
Scientists have also found another ancient fungus named Paleoophiocordyceps, which just doesn't kill its targets, it actually takes control of their bodies after death. This fungus made the dead insects move and twitch, helping it spread its spores to new places. The strange things growing out of the heads of ants and flies? Those are the fungus's fruiting bodies, the part it uses to reproduce.
A Real-Life Zombie Story from the Dinosaur Age
Using 3D scans on insects trapped in amber, researcher Yuhui Zhuang and his team discovered two new types of this fungus: Palaeophiocordyceps gerontoformica and Palaeophiocordyceps ironomaia. This shows that 'zombie-like' behavior in insects is nothing new infact it's been around for millions of years.
Poor Ants Are Usually the Victims
But today, this eerie fungus only goes after ants, takes over their brains and makes them climb to high places before it kills them, allowing its spores to spread widely. But in this rare discovery, it wasn't an ant that got infected, it was a fly. Finding a fly preserved like this in tree resin is extremely unusual, which is why scientists are especially thrilled. It offers a rare and fascinating glimpse into how this mind-controlling fungus behaved millions of years ago.
These insects had most likely died before being trapped in the sticky tree resin, which helped preserve both their bodies and the terrifying fungal growths in remarkable detail even after nearly 100 million years.
This incredible discovery has amazed scientists, offering proof that bizarre and eerie events, the kind we usually see in horror movies, have actually been part of nature's story for millions of years. The idea of a fungus turning its victims into mindless puppets isn't just science fiction, it's a real and ancient nightmare from Earth's past.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Indian Express
‘The Last of Us' cretaceous edition? 99-million-year-old amber traps ‘zombie' fungus from insect brains
A 99-million-year-old piece of amber has preserved a haunting moment of nature: a fly with a parasitic fungus bursting from its head. Another piece trapped an ant similarly infected, offering two of the oldest examples of 'zombie fungi' in the fossil record. These fungi, belonging to the genus Ophiocordyceps, are known for hijacking their hosts' bodies before killing them. The specimens were discovered by researchers at Yunnan University in China, who used microscopes and 3D imaging to study the amber, according to a study published June 11 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, CNN reported. Lead author Yuhui Zhuang described the fossils as rare. 'Amber gives us this opportunity to visualize the ancient ecological relationships preserved in fossils,' he told CNN. The fly and ant were infected with newly identified species: Paleoophiocordyceps ironomyiae and Paleoophiocordyceps gerontoformicae, respectively. These fungi are relatives of modern 'zombie-ant' fungi, made famous by the HBO show 'The Last of Us'. The fossils suggest that complex ecological interactions, including parasitic manipulation, were already present in the Cretaceous period. 'It appears that ants were targeted early for zombification,' said Conrad Labandeira of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in the study, the CNN reported. The fungi likely killed their hosts before the insects became trapped in sticky tree resin, which eventually fossilized into amber. This process allowed an extremely rare glimpse into ancient parasitic behavior. Scientists say such parasitic fungi played a critical role in shaping insect populations over millions of years. Phil Barden, an expert on amber fossils at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, called the fossils a window into 'the strangeness of the natural world' even during the time of dinosaurs. The amber was sourced from Myanmar's markets prior to 2017, the study said, before the country's civil conflict escalated. Ethical concerns have been raised in recent years about the trade of Burmese amber due to links to conflict funding.
India.com
27-06-2025
- India.com
Before Humans, a Fungus Was Making Zombies: A 99-Million-Year-Old Fly Found Trapped in Amber Proves It
99 million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. In a haunting scene preserved in ancient tree resin, A tiny fly had a deadly fungus growing out of its head, a clear sign that it had been turned into a 'zombie.' The fungus had taken control of the fly's body before killing it. Now, scientists have discovered this scene, showing that the idea of zombie-like infections isn't just made up for movies, it actually happened in nature, long ago. In 100-million-year-old amber from Myanmar, scientists discovered a scene straight out of a horror movie: a fly and an ant, both frozen in time with fungus bursting through their heads. The twisted growths are the fruiting bodies of an ancient fungus called Ophiocordyceps, the same kind that still takes over ants' minds today, turning them into real-life 'zombies' before killing them. Scientists have also found another ancient fungus named Paleoophiocordyceps, which just doesn't kill its targets, it actually takes control of their bodies after death. This fungus made the dead insects move and twitch, helping it spread its spores to new places. The strange things growing out of the heads of ants and flies? Those are the fungus's fruiting bodies, the part it uses to reproduce. A Real-Life Zombie Story from the Dinosaur Age Using 3D scans on insects trapped in amber, researcher Yuhui Zhuang and his team discovered two new types of this fungus: Palaeophiocordyceps gerontoformica and Palaeophiocordyceps ironomaia. This shows that 'zombie-like' behavior in insects is nothing new infact it's been around for millions of years. Poor Ants Are Usually the Victims But today, this eerie fungus only goes after ants, takes over their brains and makes them climb to high places before it kills them, allowing its spores to spread widely. But in this rare discovery, it wasn't an ant that got infected, it was a fly. Finding a fly preserved like this in tree resin is extremely unusual, which is why scientists are especially thrilled. It offers a rare and fascinating glimpse into how this mind-controlling fungus behaved millions of years ago. These insects had most likely died before being trapped in the sticky tree resin, which helped preserve both their bodies and the terrifying fungal growths in remarkable detail even after nearly 100 million years. This incredible discovery has amazed scientists, offering proof that bizarre and eerie events, the kind we usually see in horror movies, have actually been part of nature's story for millions of years. The idea of a fungus turning its victims into mindless puppets isn't just science fiction, it's a real and ancient nightmare from Earth's past.
Mint
26-06-2025
- Mint
Scientists find 99 million-year-old zombie fungus in very rare fossils from the dinosaur era
A piece of 99 million-year-old amber has revealed a shocking sight. It's a fly with a zombie fungus growing from its head. Another fossil in the same amber shows a young ant infected by a similar fungus. The ant and the fly were then trapped in sticky tree sap that became amber. These are among the oldest known examples of fungi controlling insects, killing them in the process. Chinese researchers studies the fossils by using microscopes and 3D scans. Lead author Yuhui Zhuang from Yunnan University said such rare finds help in understanding ancient relationships between fungi and insects. Also Read | Scientists are stunned by how these tiny insects use Milky Way as a guide 'Overall, these two fossils are very rare, at least among the tens of thousands of amber specimens we've seen, and only a few have preserved the symbiotic relationship between fungi and insects,' CNN quoted Zhuang as saying. 'The discovery of these two fossils suggests that terrestrial ecosystems were already very complex, and that Ophiocordyceps, in particular, may have begun to act as 'predators' of insects in the Cretaceous period, regulating the populations of certain groups,' Zhuang added. Also Read | Are we inside a black hole? New study challenges Big Bang theory Some fungi are called 'zombie-ant fungi' because they can control ants' behaviour to spread their spores. This strange idea inspired the video game and TV series The Last of Us. Scientists believe the fungus found in a fossilised ant could be an early form of today's zombie-ant fungi. These fungi likely controlled the ant's body before killing it. Such ancient parasitic fungi are very rare, so not much is known about their history. Experts say these fungi played a big role in shaping life on Earth. Even though amber shows us many hidden species, we still only see a tiny part of the full picture. Each insect probably carried many unseen parasites, fungi or bacteria. New fossil discovery The new fossil discovery shows these fungi existed even during the dinosaur era, around 99 million years ago, and had already attacked insects. According to experts, they may have helped control insect populations back then. Today, such fungi still infect many insects like ants, flies and beetles. Scientists say the fungus enters the ant's body through a weak spot and reaches its brain to control its actions. Interestingly, flies are rarely affected today, which makes a fossil of an infected fly very rare and exciting for researchers.
