So, this is apparently a real thing: a parasitic fungus that hijacks the mental functioning of ants.
http://earthsky.org/biodiversity/fungus-turns-tropical-carpenter-ants-into-the-walking-dead
Yup. It's pretty scary, but the best we can hope for is for it not to adapt to any more species.
Quote from: Duckling on January 16, 2012, 12:48:27 PM
Yup. It's pretty scary, but the best we can hope for is for it not to adapt to any more species.
Seems pretty unlikely.
Agreed.
Quote from: Duckling on January 16, 2012, 12:48:27 PM
Yup. It's pretty scary, but the best we can hope for is for it not to adapt to any more species.
Contrarily we as humans would never amount to anything if we didn't make such sagacious adaptations. Hopefully nothing will meet our level of evolution.
P.S. I'm still a blue cape. I feel unaccomplished.
Meh. I don't really post anywhere but in the Forum Games, but somehow I've managed to rack up exactly 600 posts. The posts aren't what counts, as long as you've good ideas and you're a nice person.
Quote from: Duckling on February 08, 2012, 10:33:53 PM
Meh. I don't really post anywhere but in the Forum Games, but somehow I've managed to rack up exactly 600 posts. The posts aren't what counts, as long as you've good ideas and you're a nice person.
I know but I cant help the feeling how much I missed out.
Quote from: Dullahan on February 08, 2012, 10:53:22 PM
I know but I cant help the feeling how much I missed out.
Not much, actually. The forums have been fairly quiet as of late.
Guys. Zombie Ants.
Scary. Any desire to visit Thailand I may have previously had is now gone.
Quote from: bugfartboy on February 09, 2012, 07:05:53 AM
Guys. Zombie Ants.
Scary. Any desire to visit Thailand I may have previously had is now gone.
Like Duckling said, there isn't much we can do but hope that humans can't be affected.
0_0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8)
Okay then. Now I'm wondering if that 'more successful the species is, the more likely it is to develop a parasitic counterpart' applies to humans. After all, we are certainly among the more successful species on the planet. Still, I imagine it could be defeated and destroyed by humans, if even ants can contain the infection.
I'm sure if they develop an ablility to overpower our own fucntions we would all deam it a usless and harmfull species to all kind and simply make it extinct. We are quiter superior this way.
Note that for the fungus point of view, it's of its own interest to infect (and kill) only a small fraction of the ants. If it infects a large number of ants, the colony might die and the fungus will not be able to spread any more.
In the case of humans, the same reasoning applies: any disease will only affect a fraction of humans at some point in time. If it kills/affects too much hosts, it will have a harder time to spread, hence, lowering its chances of continuing to exist (due to lack of hosts).
To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure what the fungus would want with us. Other than a higher chance of spreading, our bodies don't seem to be very useful to the fungus.
Good point Ert if the hunter hunts to extermination then they would suffer in turn. Mothernature does like to keep things in equilibrium and if these are natural i'm sure the same principals apply.
But wait, if people ever did get infected, how would we know the difference?
They'd be incapable of communication, and would solely be driven by basic instinct. You'd know.
And the fungi growing out of their skull might be a clue. But anyway, ants can tell, so a human probably could.
But wait, dumber than dirt, dirt in their ears, no sense of communication.
How would people tell if they were infected or just a fox news reporter who lost their job?
Because the former can't talk, whereas the latter can't stop talking - they just can't say anything worth listening to.
Whew, minor heart-attack of fear there
And if this parasitic fungus develops the capability of being discrete and full control of the users brain what are we to do then? To be honest I can answer this myself destroy all fungus of such kind and all humans and other life that just have a hint of a molecule of this fungus.
Quote from: the rox on February 23, 2012, 05:44:46 PM
But wait, dumber than dirt, dirt in their ears, no sense of communication.
How would people tell if they were infected or just a fox news reporter who lost their job?
Quote of the year, right here.