Cordyceps / ˈ k ɔːr d ɪ s ɛ p s / is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) that includes over 260 species worldwide, many of which are parasitic. Diverse variants of cordyceps have had more than 1,500 years of use in Chinese medicine. [1]

2025年2月9日 · zombie-ant fungus, (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis), species of parasitic fungus of the order Hypocreales that infects ants and alters their behavior before killing them. The fungus is largely pantropical and primarily infects carpenter ants (genus Camponotus).

O. unilateralis suffers from an unidentified fungal hyperparasite, reported in the lay press as the "antizombie-fungus fungus", that results in only 6–7% of sporangia being viable, limiting the damage O. unilateralis inflicts on ant colonies.

2023年1月19日 · About 35 of these ophiocordyceps fungi are known to turn insects into zombies, but as many as 600 may exist, says João Araújo, an expert on parasitic fungi at the New York Botanical Garden....

2023年1月22日 · Cordyceps, the “zombie fungus” at the center of HBO’s The Last of Us, is a parasitic fungus that typically thrives in hot, humid climates like tropical forests. There are hundreds of different species of cordyceps — and each of them targets specific types of insects.

2023年2月5日 · Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, also known as the zombie-ant fungus, is a real-life parasite, with various strains attacking specific species of insects.

2023年9月20日 · Most notably, there is a family of zombifying parasitic fungi called Cordyceps —more than 400 different species, each targeting a particular insect species, whether it be ants, dragonflies,...

2019年4月18日 · They walk among us: insects hijacked by parasitic fungi that control their every move. The Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus has just one goal: self-propagation and dispersal. Researchers...

It’s a grim process that has led to cordyceps fungus getting its moment on the silver screen from National Geographic, the BBC and Netflix, all of whom have broadcast captivating — but deeply skin-crawling — high-def footage of the parasitic mushroom taking …

2025年1月8日 · Are Cordyceps Parasitic? Cordyceps, a diverse genus of parasitic fungi, has been utilized in Chinese medicine for over 1, 500 years. Predominantly, Cordyceps species are endoparasitoids, targeting insects and other arthropods, making them entomopathogenic fungi.