Posts: Links / Zombie Ants...Thats how it starts

In the very beginning of the book Breaking the Spell by Dennett he discusses the ant / parasite relationship and compares it to how religion does this same thing in humans, it's a virus of the mind. So in a sense most humans are zombies.

id rather have the fungus

why not, can't be worse then MRSA

ouch. MRSA...your own personal jesus.

Ants seem to be the most common victims of these crazy fungi. Is it because ants tend to produce thousands of genetically identical individuals per colony, which allows the fungus to adapt to their immune system? We need an ant geneticist to explain this to me.

ants are so fascinating. Their genetic similarities allow them to achieve this amazing level of altruism that in some ways is far more complex then seen in humans. Recently I read a story about just how altruistic ants can be. A scientist set up a situation in which he tied up an ant to the ground much like you would a dog. He then observed how the ant's sisters would react when they found their fellow comrade bound to the floor. As the ants stumbled upon their kin they did just as any human would do, they attempted to remove the bind and free their friend. On the other hand, the homologous nature of the ants also causes them to be easy targets to potentially dangerous parasitic creatures. Catch 22.

http://news.nationalgeogr.../zombie-ants



more zombie ants...this time its fly larva controlling them.