In the dense forests of South America and Southeast Asia, a parasite operates with chilling precision. Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, often called the zombie-ant fungus, infects ants, invades their ...

Ant (scientific name: Camponotus atriceps) infected with fungus (scientific name: Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato). The fungus forces the ant to climb off the forest floor and bite down on a ...

Fungi can be seen growing out of the head of an insect encased in 99-million-year-old amber. - Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences/NIGPAS Some of the most ...

It sounds like something from a horror movie, but nature’s own mushrooms hide a creepy secret. Season 2 of the HBO series The Last of Us is available to stream right now. The show imagines a world ...

Fungal interactions with ant species represent a fascinating and complex interface that influences both individual physiology and colony-level dynamics. Research has shown that fungal infections, ...

The world can be a scary place. Global pandemics, catastrophic climate change. But humans have made it this far, so why bat an eye at a deadly zombie fungus? HBO’s highly anticipated TV adaptation of ...

(CNN) — Some of the most intriguing science fiction springs from eerie, real-life phenomena. Case in point, the mutant parasite in the video game series “The Last of Us.” Creators of the franchise, ...

Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. Some of the most intriguing science fiction springs from ...