In an astonishing discovery, scientists have uncovered 99-million-year-old amber fossils showing insects infected by a type of “zombie fungus”—offering the earliest known evidence of fungi manipulating insect behavior.
The fossils, found in Myanmar, feature a fly and a young ant preserved mid-infection by parasitic fungi. The insects were likely killed by the fungi, then trapped in sticky tree resin that later fossilized into amber during the Cretaceous period, around the time of the dinosaurs.
Oldest Evidence of Fungal Mind Control
Researchers from Yunnan University in China studied the fossils using advanced microscopy and 3D scanning techniques. The study was led by Yuhui Zhuang, who told :
“These two fossils are extremely rare—among the tens of thousands of amber specimens we’ve seen, very few show such clear fungal-insect interaction.”
The discovery sheds new light on the ancient relationship between insects and Ophiocordyceps fungi—a group known today for turning ants into so-called “zombies” by hijacking their nervous systems.
What Is Zombie Fungus?
Modern zombie-ant fungi, such as Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, infect insects like ants by entering their bodies, often through soft joints. The fungus then controls the host’s behavior, forcing it to climb to elevated spots, where it dies and the fungus releases spores to infect others.
This eerie behavior has inspired pop culture, including the hit video game and HBO series The Last of Us.
The fossilized ant appears to have been under similar control, suggesting these behavioral manipulation strategies existed tens of millions of years earlier than previously believed. Even more surprising is the infected fly, since modern zombie fungi rarely target flies, making this fossil exceptionally rare and scientifically valuable.
Why It Matters
According to Zhuang:
“These findings suggest that ancient terrestrial ecosystems were already quite complex and that fungi may have played a significant role in regulating insect populations—even in the age of dinosaurs.”
Parasitic fungi like Ophiocordyceps are crucial to modern ecosystems because they naturally limit insect populations. This new discovery shows they may have been performing this role for nearly 100 million years.
Unseen Biodiversity in Amber
While amber is a treasure trove of prehistoric life, scientists warn that it reveals only a small fraction of past ecosystems. Many insects likely carried invisible parasites, bacteria, or fungi that are almost impossible to detect in fossils.
Still, every such discovery adds a new piece to the puzzle of Earth’s evolutionary history. These fossilized interactions offer a rare glimpse into a prehistoric world where fungi were already manipulating and killing insects—an ancient war of nature frozen in time.
