Unexplainable Real-life zombies
8 snips
Oct 1, 2025 Mindy Weisberger, a science writer and author of *Rise of the Zombie Bugs*, dives into the fascinating world of parasitic organisms that manipulate insect behavior. She reveals how a fungus can zombify flies, forcing them to climb high and die for spore dispersion. Explore the eerie life cycles of hairworms that commandeer crickets, and how wasps influence spiders to build webs for their larvae. Mindy discusses the implications for understanding neurology and the ethical concerns around engineered zombifiers. Plus, she hints at how some pathogens might alter human behavior!
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Fungus Turns Fly Into Spore-Dispensing Puppet
- Mindy describes a fungus that grows inside a fly, controls it to climb, glue itself, and then release spores from a cracked abdomen.
- The fungus manipulates the fly's body and behavior to maximize spore dispersal and attract new victims.
Hairworm Forces Crickets To Commit to Water
- Mindy describes hairworms that grow inside crickets until the cricket seeks water and the worm emerges slowly.
- She compares watching the worm spool out of a cricket to a visceral, 'Alien'-like experience.
Three Core Mysteries Of Zombification
- Big mysteries include how zombifiers evade immune responses, detect the right environmental cues, and actually change host behavior.
- These questions reflect how complex behavior is even in insects and why mechanisms remain elusive.
