Zombies are real!

[Internet Kraken]

A lot of parasitic animals do this. This is nothing new.

However, this is one of the reasons I'm terrified of parasites. Get out of my body you fuckers.

 

[Internet Kraken]

Ive always thought its entirely possible that a parasitic lifeform could evolve to take over the human brain.

But i always thought it would be reality television.

I think there is a (very rare) parasite that eats the human brain. Allow me to check.

 

[A random person]

You just won teh interwebs.

 

[Jharry5]

That's really interesting.
Gross, but interesting nonetheless.

It's only a matter of time before they develop a taste for human brain; then all our Z-Day plans will be put to the test...

 

[smokeybearsb]

Awww this would be really REALLY cool if they were the same as described, but ants' heads didn't fall off and they turned cannibalistic instead. I think that is what everyone's looking for.

 

[Erana]

Wait, since when has introducing a foreign species to destroy another a good idea?

 

[Flishiz]

Wait, since when has introducing a foreign species to destroy another a good idea?

People have been transplanting alien organisms into foreign enviornments for a long time. Most of the time it's to kill off a harmful parasite or organism. It works quite well to balance the status quo.

 

[GodsOneMistake]

God that sounds like it would suck hard... Even though there are no pain receptors on the brain, that has got to hurt somehow. And just imagine what it would be like to have your brain just being eaton away from the inside, everything would go motor skills, intelligence, speech.

 

[a stranger]

Cool! How are we sure that they won't attack use and turn us into zombies...?

maybe they already have *devours human brain* *yum*

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Wow and I thought burning them with a magnyfing glass was cool.

 

[atv_chic_18]

This is creepy and interesting. I do agree with it being the tutorial level. There's nothing worse than taking a trip to a local park for a picnic and having your food carried away by zombie ants.

 

[Ignignoct]

Sort of
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090512/sc_mcclatchy/3231765

A species of fly from South America reproducing by laying their eggs on the head of fire ants. As they hatch, the maggots bury themselves in the brain, eating away the rest, causing the ants to "act like zombies."

Jewel wasp owns your fly.

It injects a poison into a cockroach to paralyze it.

Then it injects a DIFFERENT venom directly into its BRAIN.

It drags the still-living zombified cockroach to a burrow and lays its larvae on it. The larvae burrows into the still-living zombie. The cockroach doesn't struggle as it is slowly eaten alive.

Then, SIX WEEKS LATER, the new baby jade wasp emerges from the dried, dead husk of the cockroach. It is born knowing how to perform cockroach brain surgery and continue the species.

 

[PirateKing]

Oh yeah! I saw a documentary about these once.

 

[ElephantGuts]

Awesome.

 

[atv_chic_18]

Am I the only one thinking "soon replacing your armies"? Talk about surprise attack.

 

[Erana]

Wait, since when has introducing a foreign species to destroy another a good idea?

People have been transplanting alien organisms into foreign enviornments for a long time. Most of the time it's to kill off a harmful parasite or organism. It works quite well to balance the status quo.

So, I hear you like cane toads...
/bad meme reference.

 

[Bigfatstupid]

What about rabies? Give that to an animal and they go berserk, like the zombies in 28 days later.

Fast zombies!

 

[Snugglebunny]

THAT. IS. SO. COOL!!!!!

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Think that's bad? Check out Toxoplasma gondii [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasma_gondii]. It reproduces sexually in cats. When it infects a rat or mouse, it overrides their instinctive fear of cats, making them get themselves eaten so that the protozoa can infect the cat that does so.

A protozoa that can change the self-preservation instincts of an animal it infects.

And one-third of the human population of the Earth is believed to be infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Acute infections are suspected of causing encephalitis and schizophrenia. Better hope it doesn't decide that it doesn't look at the rest of your brain and decide "That's some tasty lookin' prime-cut meat right there".