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Personalized Cancer Vaccines from Dying Cells

Altum Sequencing Develops Tool for Monitoring Treatment Response in Solid Tumors

Study Links Body Composition to Pelvic Floor Issues

International Team Identifies Therapeutic Target for Disease

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Hawaiʻi's Post-Disaster Health Study Reveals Ongoing Challenges

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Seasonal Diseases Influence Adherence to Health Measures

New App Mydryeye: Optimum Blinking Routine for Dry Eye

Peter Mac Clinical Trial Shows Breakthrough for High-Risk Lymphoma

Study Reveals Brain Response to Migraines Without Sleep

Rare Instances of Inherited SYNGAP1 Variants Detected

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Challenges of LGBTIQ+ Community in Shared Housing

Shark Skin Reveals Hormone Accumulation: New Non-invasive Method

Decade Later: Impact of Connecticut School Pesticide Ban

New Bioactive Discovery: Pandorabactins in Pathogenic Bacteria

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Ocean's Crucial Role in Carbon Storage: Monitoring Challenges

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Worm Species Maintain Gene Switching Patterns After Split

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Ocean Waters Changing Color Gradient: Pole Green, Equator Blue

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Canadian Government Urged to Address Refugee Family Separation

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Australian Equestrian Body Suspends Prominent Member

Human Persecution Causes Anxiety in Baboons

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Challenges of Sustainable Energy Infrastructure

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Photosynthetic living material uses bacteria to capture CO₂ in two different ways

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University of Manchester Leads Equitable Energy Transition Plan

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Study Shows Low-Carbon Pathway Enhances Wind and Solar Synergy

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California decarbonization projects are among two dozen eliminated by Trump's Department of Energy

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Thursday, 18 July 2019

How invading fungus forces zombie ant's death grip

If it's thoughts of zombies that keep you awake at night, you shouldn't be worried about zombie humans; it's the carpenter ants (Camponotus castaneus) that should concern you most. When infected by a specialised fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato), the hapless ants are unable to resist its potent power. Losing free will, the unfortunate victims locate tall pieces of vegetation, marching to a high point before the fungal infection forces them to clamp their mandibles—jaws—tightly onto a leaf vein or twig. There, the ill-fated host expires, only to be consumed from within by its evil fungal lodger, ready to scatter its spores below in the hope of infecting the next unsuspecting victim. Yet, despite the insects' loss of control, Colleen Mangold from Pennsylvania State University, USA, explains that the fungus does not attack their brains directly: 'the mandibular muscles ... of infected ants are extensively colonised by the fungus', she says. Wondering how the fungus exerts control over the ants' powerful jaw muscles, Mangold and PI David Hughes decided to take a closer look inside the muscle itself. They have discovered that the fungus invades the mandibular muscles, breaks open the membrane covering the muscle fibres and forces the muscle to contract so forcefully that it wrecks the minute muscle filaments that slide past each other. The team publishes the discovery in Journal of Experimental Biology at http://jeb.biologists.org.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/how-invading-fungus-forces-zombie-ants-death-grip