Rise of the Zombie Bugs

Mindy Weisberger

Language: English

Published: Feb 18, 2025

Description:

Zombies aren't just the stuff of nightmares. Explore the fascinating world of real-life insect zombification.

Zombies are all around us—insect zombies, that is. In Rise of the Zombie Bugs, Mindy Weisberger explores the eerie yet fascinating phenomenon of real-life zombification in the insect class and among other invertebrates. Zombifying parasites reproduce by rewriting their victims' neurochemistry, transforming them into the "walking dead": armies of cicadas, spiders, and other hosts that helplessly follow a zombifier's commands, living only to serve the parasite's needs until death's sweet release (and often beyond).

Through vivid descriptions and captivating storytelling, Weisberger explains the sinister mechanics of nature's most cunning survival strategies, including the biological marvels and evolutionary intricacies behind zombie ants, mind-controlled beetles, and the fungi and viruses that reprogram their hosts' behavior. Blending scientific...