UK Nature and Environment

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'Zombie' spiders infected by never-before-seen fungus discovered on grounds of destroyed Irish castle (www.livescience.com)

submitted 6 months ago by GreyShuck@feddit.uk to c/nature@feddit.uk

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Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen mind-controlling fungus that creates spider "zombies" after it was stumbled upon in a Victorian gunpowder store on the grounds of a destroyed Irish castle.

The fluffy white fungus, similar to the zombie-ant fungus that inspired the "The Last of Us" video game and TV series, likely uses chemical signals to direct cave spiders out of their lairs and into the open. The fungus then kills the spiders and uses their corpses to release its spores, according to a new study.

Members of BBC's nature documentary TV series Winterwatch first discovered the fungus in a gunpowder storeroom at Castle Espie wetland reserve in Northern Ireland in 2021. Scientists analyzed the fungus and found it is new to science. They describe the species, named Gibellula attenboroughii to honor Sir David Attenborough, in a study published Friday (Jan. 24) in the journal Fungal Systematics and Evolution.

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[–] Luvs2Spuj@lemmy.world 11 points 6 months ago

Can't wait for this to happen to humans. Also the creepy transition period when it happens to pets and livestock.