Cordyceps: attack of the killer fungi - Planet Earth Attenborough BBC wildlife on HackerTube: recommended by 3 Hacker News commenters across 3 separate months, 2017–2026.
documentary · evergreen
A three-minute clip from BBC's Planet Earth narrated by David Attenborough about Cordyceps, the fungus that infects insects and takes over their behavior. It shows an infected ant and its demise.
HN links it as the quick introduction to zombie-ant fungi whenever the topic comes up.
“For anyone else not familiar with cordyceps fungi, here's a three-minute clip from BCC Planet Earth”
5 Hacker News comments link this video. Each one links back to its thread.
Fungi can be very potent. There is a form of fungi called Cordyceps that invade the brains of ants and change their behavior in a way that increases its spread. Here's a clip by Attenborough explaining it best: ▶ this video They even made a movie about this jumping to humans called "The Girl with all the Gifts"
in “Deadly fungi are an emerging microbe threat” · View on HN
For anyone else not familiar with cordyceps fungi, here's a three-minute clip from BCC Planet Earth: ▶ this video
in “How Mosquitoes Sniff Out Human Sweat To Find Us” · View on HN
There is a 3-minute video from BBC Planet Earth showing an infected ant and its demise. ▶ this video It is like watching the Alien scene, except this is real.
in “'Zombie ant' brains left intact by fungal parasite” · View on HN
Related video? "Cordyceps: attack of the killer fungi - Planet Earth Attenborough BBC wildlife" ▶ this video (2008)
in “Ants: Who looks after the injured in a colony?” · View on HN
>I often see one ant carrying another That might not be an act of kindness toward the carried ant. It could be banishment from the colony to prevent the spread of fungus: ▶ this video
in “Ants can carry out life-saving amputations on injured nest mates, study shows” · View on HN