the.com/cordyceps
the fungus that turns insects into zombies and hikers into believers.
means A genus of parasitic fungi that infect insects and other arthropods, growing through the host's body and erupting as a fruiting stalk — some species are prized in traditional medicine and supplements.
from From New Latin, stitched together from Greek 'kordylē,' meaning a club or swelling, and Latin 'ceps,' from 'caput,' meaning head — literally a 'club-head,' named for the club-shaped fruiting bodies that sprout grotesquely from the corpses of their hosts. A botanist's tidy label for one of nature's least tidy habits.
- mind control
- Hijacks ant brains, forcing a death-grip on leaves
- summit fever
- Makes ants climb high before bursting from their heads
- prized cure
- Tibetan caterpillar version costs more than gold
- game muse
- Inspired the apocalypse in The Last of Us
- ancient medicine
- Used in Chinese remedies for over 1,500 years
ophiocordyceps unilateralis — fungus that infects carpenter ants in thai forests, manipulates their behavior to climb plants before death
cordyceps militaris — himalayan fungus parasitizing butterfly pupae, cultivated commercially in china for traditional medicine since 1970s
ophiocordyceps sinensis — yartsa gunbu fungus found in tibetan plateau above 3000m, sells for $20,000+ per pound, harvested by 100,000+ collectors annually