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99 million-year-old amber reveals a ‘zombie fungus’ that controlled insects’ behaviour, proving nature’s horror stories existed long before modern fiction
Two insects in the resin of a 99 million year old tree. (Photo credit: X/@Alexny_85)
Imagine a horror story frozen in time: 99 million years ago, during the reign of the dinosaurs, a gruesome scene was immortalised in sticky tree resin that still sends shivers down the spine. A fungus’s bloody tendrils burst from the head of a fly, revealing a ‘zombie virus’ had taken full control. Scientists have now brought this eerie tale to light, proving that zombie shows are far from mere fiction; they echo a very ancient, very real natural phenomenon.
In the amber of Myanmar, dating back nearly 100 million years, two insects, a fly and an ant, were found in a state so macabre it looks like a horror film poster. Fungus had torn through their heads, its fruiting bodies sprouting grotesquely, revealing the ancient ‘Ophiocordyceps’ fungus known to puppet ants even today.
In another surprising discovery, scientists found an ancient fungus named Paleoophiocordyceps doesn’t just kill its prey and move on; it turns the poor insect’s corpse into a puppet, making it twitch and move, spreading fungal spores far and wide. What looks like strange growths emerging from the heads of the fly and ant? That’s the fungus’s ‘fruiting body’, the very apparatus it uses to reproduce.
‘Zombie Apocalypse’ Of The Dinosaur Era
This discovery reveals that body-snatching mind control isn’t a modern sci-fi fantasy but something nature has perfected since the Cretaceous period, the age of dinosaurs. Scientist Yuhui Zhuang and his team used a 3D micro-CT scan on the amber samples and unveiled two new fungal species, Palaeophiocordyceps gerontoformica and Palaeophiocordyceps ironomaia.
Ants Are The Usual Victims
Today, this nasty fungus mostly targets ants, hijacking their brains to force them to climb trees and secure itself on a spot, where the spores of the fungus can spread far and wide. However, this time, the significant discovery was a fly that had fallen victim to this fungus. It is rare to find a fly preserved in tree resin in such a manner, which is why scientists are particularly excited about this find.
These insects had likely already perished before being trapped in resin, which explains how their bodies, and the fungus’s gruesome growths, remain astonishingly well-preserved after nearly 100 million years.
This extraordinary find astounds scientists and confirms that eerie, almost cinematic phenomena have been part of Earth’s natural history for millennia. The idea of a fungus turning its victims into puppets isn’t just fiction from films or TV series; it’s a chilling truth that’s been lurking beneath our feet for millions of years.
- Location :
Myanmar (Burma)
- First Published:
