{"id":3833,"date":"2023-01-30T20:09:30","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T20:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jorgeforager.com.br\/?p=3833"},"modified":"2023-07-27T21:46:39","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T21:46:39","slug":"cordyceps-de-formigas-zumbis-a-tesouro-tibetano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jorgeforager.com.br\/en\/cordyceps-de-formigas-zumbis-a-tesouro-tibetano\/","title":{"rendered":"Cordyceps: from zombie-ants to Tibetan treasure"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Under the watchful eye of the great master Jo\u00e3o Ara\u00fajo \u2013 @joaofungo<\/a>, we went out through the Cloud Forest in search of fungi #Cordyceps<\/em> during the course on the diversity of Macrofungi Ascomycota<\/strong>, coordinated by Prof. Elisandro Ricardo Drechsler-Santos (MIND.Funga\/MICOLAB\/UFSC) @drechsler_santos<\/a>, which I had the honor of participating, in November (2022), in the city of Urubici\/SC.\u00a0<\/p>

We carried out a meticulous search, conducted by Jo\u00e3o's attentive and trained eyes, looking for those small organisms that parasitize insects to ensure their continuity, but which also play an important role in nature, controlling the proliferation of some species.<\/p>

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In addition to its fame of turning insects into \u201czombies\u201d, which inspired the HBO series , \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d<\/em>, where the fungus #Cordyceps<\/em> transforms humans into zombies, these fungi also gain prominence for their medicinal potential, still little commented and explored.<\/p>

The species sinensis<\/em><\/strong>, for example, is considered the \"Tibetan treasure\", being used in the traditional Chinese medicine<\/strong> for many years to\u00a0increase energy, treat respiratory ailments, or increase sex drive<\/strong>, among many other benefits.<\/p>

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Intelligence and evolution<\/strong><\/p>

The Cordyceps<\/em>, famous mainly for zombie-ants, are a genus of fungi that infect, control and kill insects such as caterpillars, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, among others.\u00a0<\/p>

They have incredible intelligence!<\/p>

Through the dissemination of their spores, Cordyceps<\/em> they lodge in insects taking physical control of their host, which then begins to behave abnormally. After some time developing inside this organism, with the intelligence of not reaching its vital organs, the parasite leads its \u201czombie\u201d to the ideal point to then kill it, bear fruit and disperse its spores, thus perpetuating its species.<\/p>

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Studies indicate that these fungi have been evolving and refining this process with specific hosts for millions of years, which means that a strain will only have an effect on the organism it evolved to infect.<\/p>

Have you ever found #Cordyceps<\/em> on your hunts?<\/p>