Little Biology: Zombie Parasites

Natasha Dhamrait

RB Smith

What’s behind the infamous zombie ant story? How does a fungus take control of an insect? Are zombies common in nature? How do biologists study the phenomenon of adaptive manipulation?

Interns RB Smith and Natasha Dhamrait hijack the Big Biology channel to explore their favorite biology horror story, zombie ants! In this Little Biology episode, they dive into the unfortunate fate of these fungus-controlled ants and discuss some of the complicated evolutionary questions surrounding adaptive manipulation.

Written and presented by: Natasha Dhamrait and RB Smith

Cover photo: Keating Shahmehri