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'Flying salt shakers of death:' Fungal-infected zombie cicadas explained
Phys.org ^
| 06/26/2019
| Jake Stump, West Virginia University
Posted on 06/26/2019 8:00:48 AM PDT by BenLurkin
West Virginia University researchers have discovered that a cicada fungus called Massopora contains chemicals similar to those found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.
The fungus causes cicadas to lose their limbs and eccentric behavior sets in: Males try to mate with everything they encounter, although the fungus has consumed their genitals and butts.
Despite the horrid physical state of infected cicadas, they continue to roam around freely as if nothing's wrong, dousing other cicadas with a dose of their disease.
Kasson and his team are buzzing along on additional cicada research. They recently collected cicadas from this year's emergence in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. They plan to resequence the genome of the fungus and analyze the gene expression in both healthy and infected cicadas to better understand the genetic aspects of the discovery.
And beyond the discovery being downright creepy and fascinating, it may lead to someday benefiting the greater society instead of serving as nightmare fuel.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: cicadas; fungalinfected; fungus; zombie; zombiecicadas
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1
posted on
06/26/2019 8:00:48 AM PDT
by
BenLurkin
To: BenLurkin
So...is this what might be to blame for Mayor Pete and his ‘receptacle’?
2
posted on
06/26/2019 8:02:39 AM PDT
by
Jhadur
("You are not ready for immortality.")
To: BenLurkin
Males try to mate with everything they encounter...Not all that unusual, in and of itself.
To: BenLurkin
If God can do it to Cicadas, he can do it to humans.
4
posted on
06/26/2019 8:07:49 AM PDT
by
alternatives?
(Why have an army if there are no borders?)
To: BenLurkin
“Flying saltshakers of death” sounds like something Peter Falk would say in The Inlaws.
5
posted on
06/26/2019 8:21:09 AM PDT
by
GingisK
To: alternatives?
arthropods appear to be particularly susceptable to bizare exploitation of fungi. I think it has a lot to do with the chemical composition of their exoskeleton. If you get bored some time, checkout pictures of the coryceps
6
posted on
06/26/2019 8:25:17 AM PDT
by
z3n
To: Jhadur
“So...is this what might be to blame for Mayor Pete and his receptacle?”
I think in his “relationship,” he’s the “receptacle!”
7
posted on
06/26/2019 8:30:08 AM PDT
by
vette6387
To: BenLurkin
I wonder if this has anything to do with the long cicada life cycles? Maybe the fungi problem burns itself out during the 17 years the cicadas are underground?
8
posted on
06/26/2019 8:30:09 AM PDT
by
ClearCase_guy
(If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
To: BenLurkin
You have to feel a little sorry for the cicada...especially the males. I mean, outside of being a little noisy, what’d they ever do to anybody?
9
posted on
06/26/2019 8:35:37 AM PDT
by
moovova
To: BenLurkin
"...Males try to mate with everything they encounter, although the fungus has consumed their genitals and butts..." Hmm.Sound like a hormone overwhelmed 15 year old boy, or...Florida Man!
10
posted on
06/26/2019 8:37:28 AM PDT
by
rlmorel
(Trump to China: This Capitalist Will Not Sell You the Rope with Which You Will Hang Us.)
To: BenLurkin
"...Males try to mate with everything they encounter, although the fungus has consumed their genitals and butts..." Hmm.Sound like a hormone overwhelmed 15 year old boy, or...Florida Man!
11
posted on
06/26/2019 8:39:36 AM PDT
by
rlmorel
(Trump to China: This Capitalist Will Not Sell You the Rope with Which You Will Hang Us.)
To: BenLurkin
How long before someone tries to smoke cicadas for the hallucinogenic effects?
12
posted on
06/26/2019 9:01:05 AM PDT
by
DannyTN
To: BenLurkin
oh great, now people are going to try to smoke zombie cicadas or make cicada brownies...
13
posted on
06/26/2019 9:07:10 AM PDT
by
piasa
(Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
To: BenLurkin
The “everything” they encounter must be gay cicadas with no genitals and butts because the lady cicadas would turn those ugly guys down flat.
14
posted on
06/26/2019 9:18:15 AM PDT
by
bgill
To: BenLurkin
Hopefully it spreads to locusts and Democrats. But I repeat myself.
15
posted on
06/26/2019 9:23:54 AM PDT
by
Sirius Lee
(“Individual liberty and freedom are not outmoded concepts.”)
To: Fungi
16
posted on
06/26/2019 9:27:46 AM PDT
by
null and void
(Stamp out philately!)
To: BenLurkin
Tonight's feature on Monster Chiller Horror Theater is
The Fugus-Infested Horny Zombie Cicadas from Moundsville, West Virginia starring Scott Brady, Annette Funicello, Godfrey Cambridge and Burl Ives.
17
posted on
06/26/2019 9:31:41 AM PDT
by
Buckeye McFrog
(Patrick Henry would have been an anti-vaxxer.)
To: Buckeye McFrog
18
posted on
06/26/2019 9:35:39 AM PDT
by
BenLurkin
(The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire. Or both.)
To: BenLurkin
No cicada salad this year, I guess.
19
posted on
06/26/2019 9:41:23 AM PDT
by
Carriage Hill
(A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
To: BenLurkin
Aids and the irresponsible of the insect kingdom
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