From being the central villain in a prominent video game and now television series, zombie fungi like cordyceps have rapidly gained traction as a captivating subject of scientific study. Nonetheless, these fascinating mushrooms and fungi have existed far longer than one might assume. Indeed, a recently uncovered piece of amber reveals that the “zombie fungi” thrived over 100 million years ago.
Besides serving as a narrative element in “The Last of Us,” cordyceps has also shown potential as a possible asset in the battle against cancer. Furthermore, discovering a new strain of nearly 100 million-year-old zombie fungus preserved in amber is thrilling for several reasons. The newly identified fungi, Paleoophiocordyceps gerontoformicae and Paleoophiocordyceps ironomyiae, appear to have functioned very similarly to their contemporary entomopathogenic relatives.
Similar to the zombie fungi we can find today, these ancient fungi produce stems from their deceased hosts, enabling them to infect other creatures and insects that venture close. The newly found piece of amber showcases an ant pupa, which perished and subsequently gave rise to a slender fungal stem. Additionally, the amber holds a fly that has been penetrated by a distinct type of fungus: a projectile-like stroma.
This finding is exhilarating because it indicates that even 100 million years ago, zombie fungi such as these were widespread globally. Based on the number of stalks and their arrangement within the fungus, it seems they can be connected to the modern Ophiocordyceps family, even though the lineage for the genus diverged more than 130 million years ago.
Of course, it is widely recognized that amber acts as a sort of time capsule from ancient times. It even played a significant role as a primary source of DNA for scholars in the fictional “Jurassic Park,” which has inspired a series of numerous films, video games, and television programs. Naturally, the likelihood of actually extracting viable DNA from amber is very low, but it remains fascinating to look back in time and observe a 100 million-year-old zombie fungus captured in stasis.
