This Killer Fungus Turns Flies into Zombies | Deep Look
Deep Look・3 minutes read
A fungus infects fruit flies through spores, manipulating their behavior before ultimately killing them to spread and reproduce. Scientists, including Carolyn Elya, study how the fungus controls the fly's neurons, but attempts to use it for population control have been unsuccessful due to the spores' fragility and short lifespan, prioritizing the fungus's survival.
Insights
- The fungus infects fruit flies by manipulating their neurons, controlling their behavior until it kills them to spread spores, showcasing a remarkable ability to hijack the host's brain for its own reproductive purposes.
- Efforts to utilize the fungus for population control have failed due to the spores' fragility and short lifespan, emphasizing the fungus's evolutionary adaptation to prioritize its own survival and propagation over potential applications in pest management.
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Recent questions
How does a fungus infect a fruit fly?
By entering through a spore, taking over its brain.
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Summary
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Fungus manipulates fly behavior for survival.
- A fungus infects a fruit fly by entering its body through a spore, gradually taking over its brain and causing erratic behavior like climbing to high places and twitching before ultimately killing the fly by launching spores from its body to spread and reproduce.
- Scientists, like Carolyn Elya from Harvard, study how the fungus manipulates the fly's neurons to control its actions, with unsuccessful attempts to use the fungus to control fly populations due to the fragility of the deadly spores and their short lifespan, highlighting the fungus's focus on its own survival.
