Articles for tag: animal behavior, ecology, Mutualism, parasitism, symbiosis

Symbiosis or Sabotage? When Species Relationships Get Complicated

Suhail Ahmed

Nature loves a deal, but it doesn’t always play fair. Across forests, reefs, and even our own bodies, species swap services like currency – until stress tips the balance and partners start to take more than they give. Scientists are now uncovering the fragile fine print in these ancient agreements, finding that cooperation can turn ...

Extinct fungus-growing ant, related to modern leafcutting ants, fossilized in Dominican Amber.

Jurassic Parasites: Amber Fossils Reveal the Dinosaur-Era Origins of Zombie-Ant Fungi

April Joy Jovita

A remarkable discovery from mid-Cretaceous amber has pushed back the evolutionary timeline of one of nature’s most bizarre parasitic relationships: the infamous “zombie-ant” fungi. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have identified fossilized fungi infecting insects in 99-million-year-old amber, offering the oldest direct evidence of entomopathogenic fungi manipulating their hosts. Fossilized Mind Control The ...