Mark Megahan
The crew of a BBC nature documentary discovered fungus covered zombie spiders in the basement of an Irish castle. Big Pharma calls them “a medicinal treasure chest.” When most people find out where some of the substances in their drugs came from, they’re horrified. They keep taking them anyway. Remember Paraquat Pot? This is one of those “Serpent and the Rainbow” type advances in science, without all the voodoo and third-world politics.
New zombie fungus
DNA analysis confirms the recently discovered fungus is totally unique. The mind controlling spores create spider “zombies” and move them around where they want them.
The strain picked up the name Gibellula attenboroughii “to honor Sir David Attenborough.” He’s a famous naturalist.
The crew filming BBC’s nature documentary TV series Winterwatch stumbled on the fungus infected zombie spiders in the basement of an Irish castle.
It was first found “in a gunpowder storeroom at Castle Espie” four years ago. It was soon confirmed to be “new to science.”
Researchers were amazed to notice the fungus “likely uses chemical signals to direct cave spiders out of their lairs and into the open.” It then “kills the spiders and uses their corpses to release its spores.”
Soon, you can ask your doctor if it’s right for you. Drug companies plan to harvest a whole new line of antibiotics synthesized by the organism.
Usually in caves
A spokesperson for the documentary team notes how thrilled they are to make a valuable discovery for science. “The Winterwatch team has always been passionate about covering great British wildlife stories in depth, so it is always gratifying to be first to uncover new scientific discoveries.”
The parasitic fungus hasn’t been seen before because it pairs up with the orb-weaving cave spider. “As their name suggests, these spiders usually live in caves but will also inhabit dark human-made areas such as cellars and old storerooms.”
After the first sample was retrieved from the castle, spelunker Tim Fogg “found more examples of the fungus in cave systems in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including on another cave spider species, Meta menardi.” He collected lots of specimens for the lab.
“Cave spiders are usually concealed in lairs or webs, yet all of the infected individuals were exposed on the roofs and walls of the caves in which they were found.” That explains why the film crew caught theirs “on the storeroom’s ceiling.”
After studying it in captivity, researchers noticed “that the fungus altered the spiders’ behavior, sending them out into the open and exposing them to air currents that dispersed G. attenboroughii spores.” Once out in the open, “G. attenboroughii produces a toxin to kill its host.”
What it does after that will make somebody billions. The freaky fungus “then uses antibiotics — antimicrobial substances that kill bacteria — to preserve the corpse whilst mummifying it.” Those substances are worth a fortune. “It’s a medicinal treasure chest.“
