Mind-controlling fungus turning cicadas into "hyper-sexual zombies"

If the constant buzzing noise wasn't bad enough, experts at the Field Museum in Chicago, Ill., say a mind-controlling fungus is turning cicadas into "hyper-sexual zombies.” Called Massospora Cicadina, also known as “zombie fungus,” the white fungus targets 13- and 17-year periodical cicadas and has already infected cicadas across the central and southern parts of Illinois and is beginning to pop up in the Chicago area.

“This fungus just takes over them and they're still alive and flying around, spreading the spores and with an extremely heightened sexual drive,” Jim Louderman, collections assistant at Chicago's Field Museum, explained. “They just want to mate with any cicada they can find, which is how it is passed on when they try to mate. They pass the spores onto other cicadas. So it is basically an STD (sexually transmitted disease)."

Field Museum research scientist Matt Nelsen added that “as these cicadas are flying around, they're raining down spores on other cicadas. And so, they've earned this nickname the ‘Flying Salt Shakers of Death,’ which is kind of a catchy name in my opinion."

Luckily, Louderman says humans are safe from being infected by the same fungus. “A zombie apocalypse is not going to happen because of cicadas. The fungus that causes the so-called zombie cicadas cannot transfer to anything but periodical cicadas," Louderman said.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/10356293/cicadas-rare-double-brood-event-canada/

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