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Sunday, December 14th, 2025

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Can microorganisms control a deer’s behavior?

Parasites no doubt affect critters from deer to caterpillars to rodents, in the process altering their behaviors. There also are human health considerations that enter the equation. (Submitted photo)

The more you learn about nature, the weirder it becomes. Take the case of the “zombie” parasite Cordyceps. Spores from this fungus end up on an ant in a tropical forest. The spores take over the ant, infiltrating its muscles, causing it to move to a warm, humid place, and to lock its jaws into a plant.
The ant is no longer in control of its behavior. I might wish that this sort of behavior stops with ants and fungi. But alas, it doesn’t.

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