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A huge number of parasites can change the behavior of the organisms they infect. In some cases, parasites can even make their hosts display completely new behaviors. We understand very little about the mechanisms and pathways behind this interaction. To learn more, we investigated how a specific fungus changes the behavior of ants, by turning them into "zombie ants". The infected zombies climb high and latch onto twigs just before they die, which helps the fungus to spread its spores a further distance.
Our results suggest that the fungus takes over the brain, secreting LSD-like compounds, expressing proteins that change serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain, and altering the ability to communicate with nearby ants. Our genome and transcriptome dataset, obtained using both field and lab techniques, allowed us for the first time to dive a bit deeper into the mechanisms used to regulate behavior. In the long run this work might even lead to discoveries related to human brain health.
Is this avenue of inquiry really advisable?
(Score: 1) by Osamabobama on Thursday November 12 2015, @09:00PM
Some astute SN readers will note the similarities to a phenomenon in the otherwise unrelated field of computers. In this context, a computer 'virus' (similar to a parasite fungus) can cause an otherwise normal computer to do things that further the interests of the virus or its designer. You can read more about this phenomenon here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie_%28computer_science%29 [wikipedia.org]
I disavow any expertise in either type of zombie, but I thought others might enjoy the parallels between the two.
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