http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20110310/od_yblog_upshot/zombie-ants-fall-victim-to-mind-control-fungus

Now, if one of them infected ants was to bite a person....

Now, if one of them infected ants was to bite a person....

 

And that person gets sick.....

Now, if one of them infected ants was to bite a person....

 

 

And that person gets sick.....

 

I like where this is going...

Zombie Ants? I dont have a BB gun!

Zombie Ants? I dont have a BB gun!

Will a magnifying glass work on these suckers?

Will a magnifying glass work on these suckers?

 

I don't believe that falls under a listed exemption. A permit to carry a magnifying glass is almost impossible to get and you can only transport it locked in a proper case from your house to the library.

I don't believe that falls under a listed exemption. A permit to carry a magnifying glass is almost impossible to get and you can only transport it locked in a proper case from your house to the library.

 

I'm in work on my Florida CCW license for this, hopefully it won't burn a hole in my pants.

I don't believe that falls under a listed exemption. A permit to carry a magnifying glass is almost impossible to get and you can only transport it locked in a proper case from your house to the library.

 

Also, your magnifying glass cannot be greater than 15 cm in diameter. I mean, who needs more than 15 cm diameter magnifying glasses?!?! Got forbid your magnifying glass have a folding or telescoping handle!

 

The only thing magnifying glasses greater than 15 cm in diameter are designed to do is burn large numbers of people very quickly!!!! And if you have a telescoping or folding handle, it can be too easily concealed by horrible, dangerous, scary gang members for their robberies and drive-bys.

Got forbid your magnifying glass have a folding or telescoping handle, or one of the shoulder things that go up!

Added more material for you.

Damn ..... We still know so little about certain aspects of earth's nature .... And we spend billions trying to bring something back from outerspace .... I'm all for the progress but still ...,

Will a magnifying glass work on these suckers?

 

Flame thrower.

This reminds me of the snail zombies: (Has an ad, sorry)

 

 

Nature is fascinating-- truly. To know that human existence is just a drop in the bucket in the grander picture really helps put things in perspective.

As soon as the NJ Legislature outlaws the Zombie Ants they will not dare step into NJ. For every ant there will be a permit from your local PD (not more than one a month).

The problem will be solved. Kinda like stopping access to guns to criminals.

 

Am I the only one waiting (and praying) for the zombies to come?

Nope, load up

This reminds me of the snail zombies: (Has an ad, sorry)

 

 

Nature is fascinating-- truly. To know that human existence is just a drop in the bucket in the grander picture really helps put things in perspective.

 

Holy Moses!!! From now on I will shoot any snail I see .... And claim self defense

I don't think its illogical to think that something similar can't jump species to humans

Definitely, saznercj, though improbable. I have delved a bit into genetics and DNA in my studies, though by no means am I even remotely an expert (or anywhere close). But from my knowledge, what makes it difficult is that organisms have to change their base composition to survive, let alone thrive, when making that evolutionary jump from simpler creatures to humans. Of course though, the ones that can are often really, really nasty ones.

It seems though that the ones that can make that jump are often either parasites (like botflies, hookworms), certain types of influenza, or hemorrhagic-types. All are pretty nasty stuff, though relatively short lived, or can be contained (until the "super bug" occurs of course... )

Superbug zombifying parasitic worm larvae oh my

Superbug zombifying parasitic worm larvae oh my

 

Come over to Jersey City on Ocean Avenue at 7am and I'll show you some of those!

Lol meet you there

Some updated info:

http://www.livescience.com/14064-zombie-ant-fungus-parasite.html

 

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0510/Zombie-ants-death-grip-and-other-gruesome-details-explained

Pfffft. Theres one in my head right now. It keeps forcing me to buy more guns!

Hughes teaches at PSU (I was actually concerned at first as I know of a David Hughes that teaches at Rutgers, ha). So, if weird stories and odd disturbances start coming out of Happy Valley, I guess it'll be time to start sounding the alarms

I hate to be the biologist to break the news to you guys but insects don't really have brains that can be taken over. Many of there movements and such are already autonomous like, no cns. There legs actually already control themselves. The brain only tells the ant where to go based on sensory input via its antennae, the rest is basically automatic to begin with. So any disruptions in this part of the ant would certainly lead to zombie like behavior, if you cut the antennae off an ant it would walk aimlessly until it dies. There already what is considered drones, much like bees, where they follow sensory input, if there sensory organs are disrupted it becomes catastrophic. I took an Entomology class last year, it was very interesting.

 

Unfortunately i don't see something like this happening in humans, but we can only hope. We have fail safes built into our bodies, and many systems would have to be effected for it to happen. primarily why we dont see this stuff in humans but in a lot of insects because it can hit one part of the bug and take over.

I hate to be the biologist to break the news to you guys but insects don't really have brains that can be taken over. Many of there movements and such are already autonomous like, no cns. There legs actually already control themselves. The brain only tells the ant where to go based on sensory input via its antennae, the rest is basically automatic to begin with. So any disruptions in this part of the ant would certainly lead to zombie like behavior, if you cut the antennae off an ant it would walk aimlessly until it dies. There already what is considered drones, much like bees, where they follow sensory input, if there sensory organs are disrupted it becomes catastrophic. I took an Entomology class last year, it was very interesting.

 

Unfortunately i don't see something like this happening in humans, but we can only hope. We have fail safes built into our bodies, and many systems would have to be effected for it to happen. primarily why we dont see this stuff in humans but in a lot of insects because it can hit one part of the bug and take over.

 

They nay not have brains, but they do have central nervous systems. This is what the fungus is taking over. Guess what other types of animals have a CNS ? Sure we have failsafes, things like immune systems, etc. They never get compromised right?

 

Just take a look at rabies. It infects the central nervous system of mammals. Causes a myriad of neurological symptoms, including aggressive and unusual behavior in animals. It builds up high concentrations of virii in the salivary glands so that it may more easily transmit itself to other hosts (other animals bitten by the infected). So here we have a virus that influences animal behavior as a mechanism of transmission. Just add in the whole "undead" thing and you have a zombie.

They nay not have brains, but they do have central nervous systems. This is what the fungus is taking over. Guess what other types of animals have a CNS ? Sure we have failsafes, things like immune systems, etc. They never get compromised right?

 

Just take a look at rabies. It infects the central nervous system of mammals. Causes a myriad of neurological symptoms, including aggressive and unusual behavior in animals. It builds up high concentrations of virii in the salivary glands so that it may more easily transmit itself to other hosts (other animals bitten by the infected). So here we have a virus that influences animal behavior as a mechanism of transmission. Just add in the whole "undead" thing and you have a zombie.

Immune system is only part of it, and a virus is much different then a fungal infection. The immune system is used to fight infection on two fronts, We do have redundant systems, which means we would need something like a virus for this to happen, much like rabies which burrows into nerve tissue and spreads. Unlike fungus which typically grow on cells, leeching nutrients and in some cases releasing chemicals. The thing that scares me is that our brains have no way to fight infections because of the barrier in place... there is no immune system in the brain... but it is hard for many things to get past this barrier with the exception of certain viruses and prions even fungus. The CNS in the human body works differently then in insects in that it connects one brain to the body, instead of connecting "multiple brains" to work as one. It would be very difficult for the human body to undergo an infection on this scale because the fungus/virus would have to take over many systems of the brain with out damaging others since our brain controls so many functions. This reminds me of a zombie movie where they broke down how the virus attacked higher order thinking parts of the brain like the front lobe, and left the medulla and brain stem in working condition. The reason i shrug off a fungal infection is because of the way it evolves and it's overall characteristics. If we ever see zombies they will be from a virus, since they are very keen on adapting to keep there host alive and have the ability to take over cells. I'm looking at it from a evolutionary stand point where fungus typically infects and kills, it's primary objective is not to keep the host alive.

edit.

Ah, didn't know you were speaking from a fungal infection point of view only. And yes I agree a virus would be more probable, even parasites, over a fungal infection. The mechanisms don't really take over to control the brain or CNS, they simply affect a certain portion of it, either physically or chemically to trigger the proper reaction, then let the body do the rest of the work. For instance with the rabies example.... induce aggression, then let the rest of the brain/body do the work (seek out and attack/bite animals).