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 ...
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. This microscopic, parasitic fungus evolved to hijack ants’ ...
A colony of leafcutter ants is home to more than just one species. Each year, studies reveal new layers of complexity in ...
A fossilized ant and fly preserved in 99-million-year-old amber have revealed one of the oldest known examples of parasitic fungi taking over insect hosts. The fungal growths, protruding from the ...