Date: 4 Jun 2026
Topic: Science
Codebreakers are a fun way to build numeracy skills.
Cordyceps is a group of parasitic fungi that infect insects and other arthropods (creepy crawlies). Some species are capable of altering their host's behaviour in ways that increase the fungus's chances of reproducing.
One of the most famous examples infects ants. After entering the ant's body, the fungus grows inside it and eventually causes the ant to leave its colony, climb vegetation, and attach itself to a leaf or stem in a location favourable for the fungus.
Once the ant dies, the fungus continues to grow and produces a stalk that emerges from the body. This stalk releases spores into the environment, allowing the fungus to infect new hosts below.
Although this behaviour is often described as creating a "zombie ant", the fungus does not literally control the insect like a puppet. Instead, it alters the insect's nervous system and behaviour through a combination of chemical and biological processes that scientists are still working to fully understand.
Some Cordyceps fungi can complete this entire process in just a few weeks, turning a healthy insect into a spore-producing platform that helps spread the next generation of the fungus.
A single infected ant can end up dying in almost exactly the same location as previous infected ants, creating what scientists sometimes call a "graveyard" of zombie ants beneath the forest canopy.
Some scientists are concerned that climate change could help certain fungi adapt to warmer temperatures, making them better able to infect humans and other mammals.