Latest news with #Ophiocordyceps
National Geographic
5 days ago
- Science
- National Geographic
Compelling photos reveal nature's beauty in astounding detail
From a hummingbird in flight to up-close encounters with parasites and their hosts, these images will spark the curiosity within. Scientists at the Altshuler Lab at the University of British Columbia use miniature fog machines to visualize the airflow around the wings of an Anna's hummingbird in flight. Photograph by Anand Varma An Anna's hummingbird feeding from a plastic syringe inside of an experimental chamber in the Lentink Lab at Stanford. This chamber is designed to detect the forces produced by a hummingbird in flight by carefully measuring the changing air pressure above and below the bird during each wingbeat. Photograph by Anand Varma Chris Clark weighs a male Cuban bee hummingbird in Bermejas, Cuba. Photograph by Anand Varma A re-creation of an experiment used to study how Anna's hummingbirds fly through narrow apertures. This study is aimed at understanding how hummingbirds fly through complex environments. Photograph by Anand Varma The parasitoid wasp, Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga, catches a spider, paralyzes it with its sting, then lays its egg on the spider's abdomen. This egg then hatches and the larval wasp feeds on the spider for a week. The night before it is ready to transform into a pupa, the larval wasp forces the spider to spin a special "cocoon web.' The wasp then kills the spider, consumes it and builds its cocoon suspended from the specialized web that was just built for it by the spider. Photograph by Anand Varma An ant infected with Ophiocordyceps fungus. The fungus forces the ant to climb off the forest floor and bite down on a leaf or branch. The fungus then kills the ant, grows out of its body, and releases spores that will infect more ants. The ant's position when it dies helps the fungus disperse its spores more effectively. Photograph by Anand Varma Bret Adee opens one of his 72,000 beehives. His company, Adee Honey Farms, is the largest commercial beekeeping operation in the world. Photograph by Anand Varma A queen honeybee surrounded by her attendant worker bees, also known as her court. This queen is part of a research program at the USDA that aims to breed bees that are more resilient to the stresses of commercial beekeeping in the United States. Photograph by Anand Varma Honeybees in an experiment designed to measure their memory. Each bee is given a burst of cinnamon-scented air and then offered a cotton-tipped applicator soaked in sugar solution. Cinnamon is used because it is a complex floral scent that is easy for the bees to remember but one they would not have encountered in the wild. By measuring how well the bees associate the cinnamon smell with the sugar reward, researchers in the Mullin Lab at Penn State University can quantify the bees' ability to learn. This research showed that agricultural spray additives which were thought to be harmless can actually affect the bees' learning and memory. Photograph by Anand Varma This photo is a re-creation of an experiment by Frank Rinkevich at Louisiana State University to test the effects of the pesticide phenothrin on honeybees. Phenothrin is used to control mosquitoes. The experiment was conducted by placing bees in paper cups and sedating them with carbon dioxide. A tiny droplet of pesticide was placed on each bee's body and the health of those bees was then monitored. Photograph by Anand Varma A queen honeybee being artificially inseminated by USDA technician Sharon Obrien. This queen is part of a breeding program that is aiming to raise bees that are resistant to a fungal pathogen called Nosema. Photograph by Anand Varma The larva of the parasitic flatworm, Ribeiroia ondatrae, gets into the tadpoles of frogs such as this American bullfrog. In the tadpoles, the worms migrate to the developing limb buds where they cause malformations of the limbs. The malformed frogs are then less able to escape from predators such as herons, which the trematode worm must get into in order to reproduce. Photograph by Anand Varma A species of thorny headed worm, which are also called Acanthocephalans, infects freshwater crustaceans called amphipods. The larva of the worm gets into the amphipod and starts absorbing the orange pigment of the surrounding tissue. It also causes the amphipod to seek out light when it is disturbed, which is the opposite of its natural behavior. This manipulation makes the amphipod more likely to be eaten by a duck, which the worm needs to get into in order to mature and reproduce. Photograph by Anand Varma Parasitic barnacle larvae just after they have been released by their host, a sheep crab. The barnacles infect the crab and if it is a male, it will turn it into a female (feminize it) so that the crab is better able to care for the offspring that the parasite produces. The crab continues to live out its life, but it is castrated and will never reproduce again. Photograph by Anand Varma Bat researcher Ivar Vleut releases a woolly false vampire bat after capturing it to collect data. Photograph by Anand Varma A woolly false vampire bat flying out of its roost inside a Mayan temple called Hormiguero in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. Photograph by Anand Varma Researcher Rodrigo Medellin (left) holds a woolly false vampire bat while researcher Ivar Vleut (right) looks at its wings to collect physiology data. Photograph by Anand Varma A spectral bat hunts a lab mouse in a flight cage. Photograph by Anand Varma
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists found a 100 million-year-old ‘zombie fungus' preserved in amber
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. From being the main antagonist of a major video game and now television franchise, zombie fungus like cordyceps have quickly become a popular point of scientific intrigue. However, these interesting mushrooms and fungi have lived far longer than you might expect. In fact, a newly discovered piece of amber shows that the 'zombie fungi' actually lived over 100 million years ago. Beyond being a plot device in 'The Last of Us,' cordyceps has also proven to be a possible tool in the fight to cure cancer. Beyond that, though, discovering a new strain of almost 100 million-year-old zombie fungus preserved in amber is exciting for a number of reasons. The newly described fungi, Paleoophiocordyceps gerontoformicae and Paleoophiocordyceps ironomyiae, look to have operated very similar to their modern entomopathogenic relatives. Today's Top Deals XGIMI Prime Day deals feature the new MoGo 4 and up to 42% off smart projectors Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Much like the zombie fungi that can be found today, these new fungi sprout stems from their dead hosts, allowing them to infect other animals and insects as they come close to it. The newly discovered hunk of amber shows an ant pupa, which died and then sprouted a slender fungal stem. The amber also contains a fly, which has been pierced by a second type of fungus: a projectile-like stroma. This discovery is exciting because it shows that even 100 million years ago, zombie fungi like this were found throughout the world. Based on the count of the stalks, as well as the arrangement found within the fungus, it appears they can be tied to the modern Ophiocordyceps family, despite the fact that the lineage for the genus split more than 130 million years ago. Of course, we all know that amber is a bit of a time capsule for ancient days. It even starred as a primary source of DNA for researchers in the fictional 'Jurassic Park,' which has spurred on a franchise of multiple movies, video games, and even television shows. Of course, the chances of actually pulling working DNA from amber is very slim, but it's still cool to be able to look back in time and see a 100 million-year-old zombie fungus frozen in time. More Top Deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 See the
15-07-2025
- Science
99-million-year-old 'zombie' fungi found preserved in amber, scientists say
Scientists have discovered two new species of ancient parasitic fungi preserved in amber dating back 99 million years. The fungi were growing out of the bodies of host insects that became trapped in globs of amber during the mid-Cretaceous period, according to a paper published last month in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. "It's fascinating to see some of the strangeness of the natural world that we see today was also present at the height of the age of the dinosaurs," said Edmund Jarzembowski, a paleoentomologist at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and co-author of the study, in a statement. The species of fungi that were growing out of the body of a young ant in its cocoon stage was named Paleoophiocordyceps gerontoformicae, while another species found bursting from the body of an ancient fly was named Paleoophiocordyceps ironomyiae. Entomopathogenic fungi can infect a wide range of insect groups, including ants, flies, spiders, cicadas and beetles, scientists say. The discovery represents the oldest-known examples of parasitic fungi that infect insects, the researchers said. Throughout their 400 million years of coexistence, fungi have proved to be an important regulator of insect populations. "As the infections are lethal, Ophiocordyceps likely played an important role in controlling the populations of insects by the Mid-Cretaceous, in a similar way to how their living counterparts do today," Jarzembowski said. Little is known about ancient entomopathogenic fungi due to the scarcity of fossils that display typical pathogenic structures on their hosts, according to the paper. The newly discovered species of fungi shared common traits with modern species of Ophiocordyceps, a group of fungi that contains the zombie-ant fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, according to the paper. The groups may have diverged from each other about 130 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous period, the researchers said. The discovery represents the oldest-known examples of parasitic fungi that infect insects, the researchers said. More than 1,500 species of parasitic fungi are currently found in five of the eight major groups of fungi, according to the Natural History Museum in London. O. unilateralis is known for infecting the brain of its hosts and manipulating the insect's behavior -- forcing it to seek more favorable conditions so that the fungi can thrive, the researchers said. Once the ant dies, the fungus grows outside of its body and releases millions of spores to infect more ants. The Zombie-ant fungi was the premise of the post-apocalyptic television series "The Last of Us." "This discovery shows the impact of tiny organisms on social animals long before humans evolved -- with the comforting thought that these tiny organisms are unlikely to jump to us, unlike in sci-fi films!" Jarzembowski said. The specimens are being housed at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan University.
Miami Herald
10-07-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
4 fungi related to species that hijack brains of insects discovered in Thailand
If you've played the video game 'The Last of Us' or seen the television adaption, then you've heard of cordyceps — a 'zombie' fungus that infects its host and takes over its body. This leads to the main plotline of a post-apocalyptic wasteland filled with 'infected' humans shooting fungal spores from every pore. The cordyceps species in 'The Last of Us,' Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, is real and does exactly what the show purports —just not in humans, according to medical experts. Thanks to a relatively high body temperature and complex nervous system, cordyceps are unable to survive in human bodies. In insects, however, many Ophiocordyceps species can hijack their brains, manipulate their behavior, and shoot spores from their bodies, allowing the fungus spread. New Ophiocordyceps from Thailand In various forests across Thailand, researchers have discovered four new species of Ophiocordyceps, each specializing in parasitizing one species of fly, according to a study published July 7 in the journal MycoKeys. Ophiocordyceps and cordyceps are closely related and were once part of the same genus. Ophiocordyceps fungi is typically 'found Inhabiting insect hosts buried in soil, on fallen leaves, decaying wood, the underside of leaves, and on stems of forest plants,' according to the study. In Khao Yai National Park near Kong Kaeo Waterfall, for example, researchers found a robber fly attached to the bottom of a leaf with small flower-like growths protruding from its head, thorax and abdomen, earning the new fungus the name Ophiocordyceps floriformis. Three other new species — Ophiocordyceps muscae, Ophiocordyceps tabani and Ophiocordyceps thilosuensis — were identified, specializing in the infection of houseflies, horseflies, and fruit flies, respectively. 'These host-specific associations suggest a role in natural fly population control,' researchers said. The study did not specify if the new species cause behavioral manipulation in their hosts. Researchers said many fungi that specialize in parasitzing insects 'produce bioactive compounds with antimicrobial or anticancer properties.' 'Discovering new species may therefore increase the chance of finding novel compounds for agricultural or medical use in the future,' according to the study. Specimens were collected from forests in Nakhon Ratchasima, Phetchabun, Chaiyaphum, and Tak provinces, according to the study. The research team included Suchada Mongkolsamrit, Donnaya Thanakitpipattana, Wasana Noisripoom, Kanoksri Tasanathai, Kanraya Liangsiri, Somruetai Jaiyen, Nattawut Rungjindamai, Marc Stadler| and Jennifer Luangsa-ard. Zombie-like behavior in other insects Ophiocordyceps fungi can impact the behavior of host insects in ways that may seem bizarre, but are actually meant to ensure the survival of the fungus. In ants, for example, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis causes them to 'erratically climb to a certain height' within a narrow window of time and bite down on leaves or twigs to anchor their bodies before a spore 'erupts from their head,' according to a study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens in 2015. In soil-dwelling ghost moth larvae, Ophiocordyceps sinensis forces them 'close to the surface' of the dirt before a 'fruiting body' grows from its head and erupts through the ground, according to the study.
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Science
- 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.
