Zombie ants controlled by parasitic fungus for 48m years

[Alaya]

I see the mind parasite as being like a computer virus, and I've heard it described that way (by Ruiz, for instance).

PD, as in a mind virus that prevents us from having direct experience of the phenomenal world?

[Pele'sDaughter]

Yes, in a sense. In some distant past human thinking was intuitive, heart-based, and not connected to ego. There was no knowledge, so there were no lies/misinformation that could be inserted to change what was "known". Everything that was "known" was directly perceived from nature, either from observation or intuition. At some point knowledge was introduced and gradually replaced intuition. Knowledge came from some outside source and could be "infected" with lies/misinformation. It also had to be processed by the brain which filters through the ego. Protecting ego became more important than truth, and this has proven to be quite fortuitous for the predatory among us who use this to manipulate others.

[undead]

It's my opinion that humans are infected with a mind parasite which would explain why we act against ourselves in defiance of all logic. Not an original idea, of course, but at least it makes sense when not much else does.

Yeah, but who are we benefitting?

The elves that you see when you do DMT?

Or the plants of the world? It's been my notion lately that we serve the plants. Although considering we're now destroying a great many of them, I dunno ..... We are providing them with a lot of CO2 which they thrive on .....

I'm kind of joking, not really, my attitude toward this is more spiritual than physical.

Unless I'm missing something.

Uh, that's kind of an uncharitable assessment of plant consciousness, isn't it? If we were actually serving / listening to / being controlled by plants, considering the ones that are most outspoken, our collective behavior would be a lot less destructive to the environment. Paul Stamets has recently been emphasizing that fungi are actually closer to animals than they are to plants, and humans share 30% of their DNA with fungi. I think an opportunistic fungal infection is the most likely culprit for the insane behavior of humans in general. Processed foods and chemical residues destroy our internal ecology and lead to dependence on artificial consumption instead of natural equilibrium.

Some basic reading on Chinese medicine and chi gong shows that the mind is intimately connected to digestion. The tantien, where a person's chi acumulates, is located in the gut area. The highest concentration of neurons outside the brain is in the large intestine. So intestinal parasites also act as mind parasites. One such example is the "eating addiction" that so many Americans complain about. Most people can't make this connection because they don't think about what they eat and how it affects their mood, thoughts, energy, etc. The mind body connection is not there.

So when your mind is not connected to your body that is technically an indicator of psychosis, at least according to our borg-doctor overlords. So most people in the USA live in a consensus-psychosis. I mean we can see that from the phenomenological behavior but the parasite angle explains why it is so difficult for people to break out of it. It is physically difficult to think outside the (psychotic) consensus reality tunnel for most people.

[FourthBase]

Christ. How could anyone forget the existence of toxoplasma??? People, come on, you've got to remember the really good shit you find here, don't let the site be just a place to get titillated or depressed, one fact after another learned briefly and forgotten, learned briefly and forgotten. So, REMEMBER: There's a party in our heads (half our heads anyway), and we might only be invited as an afterthought. But like I said such a long time ago: There's a frightening downside, sure -- but there's also an exhilarating upside!



viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20159&hilit=toxoplasma

[Jeff]

New Zombie-Ant Fungi Found

Wed Mar 2, 6:20 pm ET

The world just got a little weirder: Scientists have identified four new species of brain-controlling fungi that turn ants into zombies that do the parasite's bidding before it kills them.

Identified from samples collected at two sites in Brazil's tropical rain forest, each of the four species specializes in controlling a different species of carpenter ant.

The original zombie-ant fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, was first identified in 1865, and it seems to exist around the world.

"So we knew, right off the bat, there was a range of other species within that," said study researcher David Hughes, an entomologist at Pennsylvania State University. "I think it will turn out to be in the hundreds."

Once it infects an ant, the fungus uses as-yet-unidentified chemicals to control the ant's behavior, Hughes told LiveScience. It directs the ant to leave its colony (a very un-ant-like thing to do) and bite down on the underside of a leaf — the ant's soon-to-be resting place. Once it is killed by the fungus, the ant remains anchored in place, thanks to its death grip on the leaf.

Ultimately, the fungus produces a long stalk that protrudes from the ant's head, shooting spores out in the hopes of infecting other ants. Two of the four newly discovered species also sprouted smaller stalks elsewhere, including from the victim's feet and lower leg joints – the equivalent of knees.

...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/201 ... 9tYmllLWFu

[Bruce Dazzling]

New Zombie-Ant Fungi Found

Wed Mar 2, 6:20 pm ET

The world just got a little weirder: Scientists have identified four new species of brain-controlling fungi that turn ants into zombies that do the parasite's bidding before it kills them.

Identified from samples collected at two sites in Brazil's tropical rain forest, each of the four species specializes in controlling a different species of carpenter ant.

The original zombie-ant fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, was first identified in 1865, and it seems to exist around the world.

"So we knew, right off the bat, there was a range of other species within that," said study researcher David Hughes, an entomologist at Pennsylvania State University. "I think it will turn out to be in the hundreds."

Once it infects an ant, the fungus uses as-yet-unidentified chemicals to control the ant's behavior, Hughes told LiveScience. It directs the ant to leave its colony (a very un-ant-like thing to do) and bite down on the underside of a leaf — the ant's soon-to-be resting place. Once it is killed by the fungus, the ant remains anchored in place, thanks to its death grip on the leaf.

Ultimately, the fungus produces a long stalk that protrudes from the ant's head, shooting spores out in the hopes of infecting other ants. Two of the four newly discovered species also sprouted smaller stalks elsewhere, including from the victim's feet and lower leg joints – the equivalent of knees.

...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/201 ... 9tYmllLWFu

Think of the possibilities!

Lots of mustaches are being twisted at Fort Detrick.

[DevilYouKnow]