Parasitic diseases, which are passed on to people via parasites found in contaminated food, water, soil or bugs that bite humans, can be relatively uncommon in some parts of the world. In other ...

With the emergence of cicada broods this summer, scientists have begun collecting specimens of cicada infected with a mysterious parasitic fungus that takes over the insects and turns them into ...

A woman displays the fungus for sale at a market. The fungus sprouts from the caterpillar’s head. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images News via Getty Images While many traditional Chinese/herbal medicine ...

In 2024, two broods of periodical cicadas will emerge in Illinois and the surrounding states at once: the 13-year Brood XIX and 17-year Brood XIII. A team of researchers at West Virginia University in ...

Scientists have discovered two new species of ancient parasitic fungi preserved in amber dating back 99 million years. The fungi were growing out of the bodies of host insects that became trapped in ...

A fly is going about its day, buzzing here, buzzing there — but then, it starts behaving weirdly. Its movements become sluggish, and its abdomen swells. Its body sprouts white fuzz. Around sunset, ...

A glob of 99 million-year-old amber has preserved an ancient fly in horror show fashion: with the mushroom-like fruiting body of zombie fungus bursting forth from its head.The insect, along with a ...

In context: Weirdly shaped like a horse's hoof, F. fomentarius is a species of fungal parasite that grows on the side of trees which it infects through broken bark. When the tree dies, the fungus ...

In the remote Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, a rare fungus grows inside dead caterpillars. In traditional Chinese medicine, this parasitic fungus is prized for its purported medicinal effects. Known as ...