A closer look
Cordyceps fungi infect the brains of tropical carpenter ants, hijacking their central nervous systems to turn them into mindless, climbing zombies. The fungus forces the infected ant to scale a nearby plant and bite down on a leaf vein exactly twenty-five centimeters above the forest floor, which happens to be the perfect humidity zone for fungal growth. Once anchored, the fungus erupts from the head of the ant in a grotesque stalk, raining deadly spores onto the colony below to repeat the horrifying cycle. It is deeply unsettling to know that nature perfected mind-control parasites millions of years before we even invented the wheel, making our modern horror movies look like uninspired amateur hour
