See What's Controlling These Zombie Ants

A new study is shedding light on the mysterious markings of zombie ants, tropical carpenter ants that take their orders from a fungus. The fungal vampire carves its way into an ant's body and compels it to crawl over and devour vegetation until it meets its fate clasped to the underside of a leaf or twig. As the grand finale, toxic spores bloom from the dead ant's head and drift to the ground below, onto more unsuspecting zombies-to-be. It hasn't been clear exactly how the fungus exerts this seeming mind control over the ant, but scientists figured that it made its way directly into the ant's brain. Now, using 3-D computer modeling and artificial intelligence to process samples, the researchers were surprised to discover that the fungus, called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato, invades an ant's whole body and leaves the brain untouched.