Matt Kasson: Zombies strike fear into our hearts – and if they’re persistent, eventually they get inside our heads. Animals taken over by zombies no longer control their own bodies or behaviors. Instead, they serve the interests of a master, whether it’s a virus, fungus or some other harmful agent. The term “zombi” comes from Vodou, a religion that evolved in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. But the idea of armies of undead, brain-eating human zombies comes from movies, such as “Night of the Living Dead,” television shows like “The Walking Dead” and video games like Resident Evil. Those all are fictional. Nature is where we can find real examples of zombification – one organism controlling another organism’s behavior. I study fungi, a huge biological kingdom that includes molds, mildews, yeasts, mushrooms and zombifying fungi. Don’t worry – these “brain-eating organisms” tend to target insects. Insect body snatchers One of the most famous examples is the zombie ant fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which is part of a larger group known as Cordyceps fungi. This fungus inspired the video game and HBO series “The Last of Us,” in which a widespread fungal infection turns people into zombie-like creatures and causes society to collapse. In the real world, ants usually come into contact with this fungus when spores – pollen-size reproductive particles that the fungus makes – fall onto the ant from a tree or plant overhead. The spores penetrate the ant’s body without killing it. Once inside, the fungus spreads in the form of a yeast. The ant stops communicating with nestmates and staggers around aimlessly. Eventually it becomes hyperactive. Finally, the fungus causes the ant to climb up a plant and lock onto a leaf or a stem with its jaws – a behavior called summiting. The fungus changes into a new phase and consumes the ant’s organs, including its brain. A stalk erupts from the dead insect’s head and produces spores, which fall onto healthy ants below, starting the cycle again. Scientists have described countless species of Ophiocordyceps. Each one is tiny, with a very specialized lifestyle. Some live only in specific areas: for example, Ophiocordyceps salganeicola, a parasite of social cockroaches, is found only in Japan’s Ryukyu Islands. I expect that there are many more species around the world awaiting discovery. The zombie cicada fungus, Massospora cicadina, has also received a lot of attention in recent years. It infects and controls periodical cicadas, which are cicadas that live underground and emerge briefly to mate on 13- or 17-year cycles. The fungus keeps the cicadas energized and flying around, even as it consumes and replaces their rear ends and abdomens. This prolonged “active host” behavior is rare in fungi that invade insects. Massospora has family members that target flies, moths, millipedes and soldier beetles, but they cause their hosts to summit and die, like ants affected by Ophiocordyceps. Dozens of Massospora cicadina-infected 13-year cicadas being prepared for drying and analyzing in Matt Kasson’s mycology lab at West Virginia University. Matt Kasson, CC BY-ND The real fungal threats These diverse morbid partnerships – relationships that lead to death – were formed and refined over millions of years of evolutionary time. A fungus that specializes in infecting and controlling ants or cicadas would have to evolve vastly new tools over millions more years to be able to infect even another insect, even one that’s closely related, let alone a human. In my research, I’ve collected and handled hundreds of living and dead zombie cicadas, as well as countless fungus-infected insects, spiders and millipedes. I’ve dissected hundreds of specimens and uncovered fascinating aspects of their biology. Despite this prolonged exposure, I still control my own behavior. Some fungi do threaten human health. Examples include Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans, both of which can invade people’s lungs and cause serious pneumonia-like symptoms. Cryptococcus neoformans can spread outside the lungs into the central nervous system and cause symptoms such as neck stiffness, vomiting and sensitivity to light. Invasive fungal diseases are on the rise worldwide. So are common fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot – a rash between your toes – and ringworm, a rash that despite its name is caused by a fungus. Fungi thrive in perpetually warm and wet environments. You can protect yourself against many of them by showering after you get sweaty or dirty and not sharing sports gear or towels with other people. Not all fungi are scary, and even the alarming ones won’t turn you into the walking dead. The closest you’re likely to come to a zombifying fungus is through watching scary movies or playing video games. If you’re lucky, you might find a zombie ant or fly in your own neighborhood. And if you think they’re cool, you could become a scientist like me and spend your life seeking them out. Matt Kasson, Associate Professor of Mycology and Plant Pathology, West Virginia University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The post The Last of Us: Could Fungi Really Cause a Zombie Apocalypse? appeared first on Anomalien.com.

A Texas married couple who said police assaulted them while they were praying on Jan. 6 were sentenced to years in prison Oct. 22 on felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from their time outside the U.S. Capitol during protests and subsequent rioting.Mark Fulton Middleton, 54, and Jalise Kay Middleton, 54, of Forestburg, Texas, had asked U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss to sentence them to home detention and probation, while the U.S. Department of Justice sought sentences of 7.25 years in prison for each.Judge Moss sentenced Mark Middleton to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, while he gave Jalise Middleton 20 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.In February, the Middletons were found guilty by a Washington, D.C., jury of assaulting, resisting, or impeding two police officers, civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct, engaging in physical violence, and several other related misdemeanors.'The officer was pulling her scarf and choking her.'A guilty verdict on the felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding was dismissed in September due to the June 2024 Supreme Court ruling in Fischer v. United States. That opinion vastly limits use of an accounting-fraud statute — 18 U.S. Code §1512(c)(2) — to prosecute cases that are not related to documents or other evidence. It was the most widely charged felony in Jan. 6 cases.The crux of the Middletons’ case was what took place at the police line on the Capitol's West Plaza at about 2:10 p.m. on Jan. 6. The large crowd on the north side of the plaza pressed against the bike racks police were using to hold demonstrators back.Police on the west front had been lobbing explosive munitions and firing other projectiles into the crowd for more than an hour, Capitol Police security video showed. A grenade exploded six people deep in the crowd about a minute before the Middletons had their tangle with police, security video showed. Tear gas swirled about in the stiff wind.The Middletons say if police had not picked up the bike rack barricades and pushed them into the protesters, they would not have made contact with the officers. What prosecutors described as the couple preparing to throw their bodies against the police line was actually the Middletons facing each other and praying, a defense attorney said.“The videos do show that at one point, Mrs. Middleton’s scarf was being pulled by a police officer and Mr. Middleton has testified that he tried to pull Mrs. Middleton away from the police line and to have the police let go of his wife,” wrote defense attorney Stephen Brennwald in Mark Middleton's 21-page sentencing memo. An incendiary grenade is lobbed into the crowd by a Metropolitan Police Department officer at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Not far away, Mark and Jalise Middleton scuffle with police at the barricades.U.S. Capitol Police CCTV“That is a natural reaction that any person would have, even if the two people hadn’t been married for decades as the Middletons have,” he said.Brennwald said there is no question that police initiated contact with the Middletons and others nearby.“Her behavior only happened because she was assaulted first — hit by a police officer and pushed by a large violent protester behind her,” defense attorney Kira West wrote in Jalise Middleton's 27-page sentencing memo.“The officer was pulling her scarf and choking her and Ms. Middleton indiscriminately swatted at him to escape what she perceived was going to be her sudden death,” West said.Prosecutors took a dimmer view of the 5- to 7-second encounter.“Mark Middleton heckled police officers, including by shouted obscenities,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean McCauley and Brendan Ballou in a 47-page sentencing supplemental memo. “Together, the Middletons then threw their bodies into the barricades. When officers tried to restore the barricades and ordered them to get back, both the Middletons assaulted two officers.”'I felt responsible to let my voice be heard and make a difference.'Prosecutors cited the political speech of both Middletons since Jan. 6 and accused them of “spreading falsehoods.”“Mark Middleton has used his Twitter to trumpet — on an at least daily if not almost hourly basis — convicted January 6 rioters, promulgate conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, and spread baseless lies about January 6,” prosecutors wrote.The Middletons bragged about their deeds on social media and lied under oath during their trial, the DOJ said.“They have sought to personally benefit by using the notoriety of their crimes to raise money and seek fame,” the DOJ wrote.West rejected claims that her client lied at the trial.“Ms. Middleton made no false statements while testifying. Her testimony lines up with the video evidence in the case as well as other testimony and videos from other J6 trials,” West wrote.The Middletons had a right to exercise freedom of speech regarding their concerns over the 2020 presidential election, West said.“When this court considers all of the factors before it, the court must conclude that these are not the actions of someone there to overthrow the government or incite violence, but rather a concerned citizen who believed the election was stolen,” West said. Married couple Mark and Jalise Middleton of Forestburg, Texas, either assaulting police on Jan. 6, 2021, as prosecutors claim, or defending themselves after police pulled hard on Jalise Middleton’s scarf, as a defense attorney asserts. Photo from Metropolitan Police Department bodycam In his sentencing memo for Mark Middleton, Brennwald said he was not suggesting the Middletons “should have been where they were in the first place" or that police “did not have the right to, in some manner, move the crowd away from its location.” “But the aggressiveness demonstrated by the police in this instance was not the finest example of police behavior, and ended up being counter-productive, as it inflamed passions in the crowd,” he wrote.In an Oct. 19 letter to Judge Moss, Jalise Middleton said she was in fight-or-flight mode when the incident occurred.“I felt responsible to let my voice be heard and make a difference,” she wrote of her decision to come to Washington, D.C. “The truth is, Jesus Christ makes the difference. My only job that day was to pray and stand firm. Amidst the chaos that quickly ensued, I forgot to trust him."“Furthermore, I do passionately believe my actions that day were consistent with what any person would have done in our shoes,” Jalise Middleton wrote.The FBI seized Jalise Middleton's wedding ring while executing a search warrant at the couple's home. Agents then took it with them. The Middletons have been married since May 1990.“Wouldn’t a photograph of it suffice?” West asked. “Apparently not.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Spencer Mansion from the original Resident Evil is one of the greatest settings in horror game history, surpassed only by RE2’s Raccoon City Police headquarters and the titular town of Silent Hill. Every room hides a new horror, an imaginative, mind-bending puzzle, and a lethal enemy - each time you enter an unexplored area, it feels like anything can, and will, jump out on you. Channeling the evil spirit of Capcom’s awful abode, Haunted Bloodlines also feels like a would-be sequel in the Silent Hill series, a first-person fear fest where reality warps around you and your sanity hangs in the balance. If you’ve just gotten finished with Silent Hill 2 Remake and want something fresh for the spooky month, you can try Haunted Bloodlines right now. Continue reading New horror game Haunted Bloodlines is like a first-person sequel to Silent Hill MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best horror games, Best FPS games, Best puzzle games

CBS News' Banner Year of 'Journalism' Continues (This BS About Trump Was the LEAD STORY Last Night)

In the early moments of Metaphor: ReFantazio, the protagonist arrives at the Recruitment Centre to enlist in the military, and it is here that you can partake in a brief interview with the opposing military officers.

For an extra $700 you buy a matching wooden tripod for Marantz’s new wireless speakers. | Image: Marantz Marantz, a 70-year-old brand best known for high-end audio gear like amplifiers and receivers, announced its first speakers this week. The Marantz Horizon and Grand Horizon both pair an array of drivers with a central subwoofer and feature robust wireless connectivity with direct access to streaming services. Both speakers will be available starting on January 14th, 2025, in three different colorways: midnight sky, moon ray, and champagne. The Marantz Horizon will sell for $3,500, while the larger Grand Horizon will be $5,500. Marantz will also sell a matching tripod made from American walnut wood for $700. Image: Marantz The larger Marantz Grand Horizon offers a little extra power and includes two more drivers than... Continue reading…

Eero Outdoor 7 is the company’s first outdoor-rated Wi-Fi access point. | Image: Eero Mesh Wi-Fi pioneer Eero is tackling a new frontier: the outdoors. Today, the Amazon-owned company announced the Eero Outdoor 7. Starting at $349.99, the dual-band 2.4 and 5Ghz Wi-Fi 7 access point boasts an IP66 rating and can provide up to 15,000 square feet of outdoor coverage with speeds of up to 2.1Gbps. That should be enough to stream movies to your outdoor TV or projector, get good connectivity for your security cameras, and even funnel some decent Wi-Fi to that shed at the end of the garden. With connectivity now a necessity for so many things we do, from work to play, extending your Wi-Fi network beyond your home into your yard feels increasingly more important. Nick Weaver, CEO of Eero, told The Verge in an interview that a... Continue reading…

The iPhone 16's signature feature is, without a doubt, Apple Intelligence. That's what the iPhone 16 marketing is all about. However, that signature feature is missing in action right now, as Apple needed more time to roll out the first of its homegrown AI features. The good news is that Apple is getting ready to roll out iOS 18.1, which will bring the first Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 16 buyers. Last year's iPhone 15 Pros will also support Apple Intelligence. But Apple Intelligence isn't Apple's version of ChatGPT. It's a new computing experience with AI built-in, similar to what Google and Microsoft are trying to achieve. And unlike rivals, Apple places a big emphasis on data security and privacy. That's why the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pros will try to process AI requests directly on-device first rather than beaming the prompts to Apple's servers. However, Apple has also deployed "Private Cloud Compute" technology that will safeguard user data privacy while it's processed in the cloud. So, how does the iPhone decide what to process locally and what to send to the cloud? Apple's software guru, Craig Federighi, explained all that in an interview ahead of the Apple Intelligence rollout that's set to begin next week. Continue reading... The post Apple exec pulls back the curtain on some of Apple Intelligence’s inner workings appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Prime Day Yeedi robot vacuum deals: Best new models are up to $400 off Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2024: Get $450+ free Today’s deals: $119 off iPad mini, $120 heated jackets, Energizer batteries, $30 Crock-Pot, more Today’s deals: Free LED smart bulbs, $64 off Black Titanium Apple Watch Ultra 2, $60 Keurig coffee maker, more

The Los Angeles Times reportedly will not be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump in the race for the White House.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg laid out a turnaround plan Wednesday, calling for a "fundamental culture change" at the struggling planemaker as its quarterly losses surged to $6 billion due to a crippling strike.