Nearly 100 million years ago, a droplet of tree sap captured a gruesome scene: a fungus bursting out of the body of an ant pupa. This amber fossil suggests that the fungus famous for its ability to hijack its victims’ brains has been infecting ants twice as long as previously thought, researchers report June 11 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Ophiocordyceps fungi infect insects like flies, caterpillars and ants. Dying fungus-infected ants suddenly develop the urge to leave their nest, climb up to a high leaf and bite down with a death grip. In one final gory moment, the fungus explodes out of the ant’s back, releasing