How does a parasite create zombie-like behavior?

Backed by Roel Fleuren, David Esopi, Alexander Castro, Christopher Stevens, David Hughes, Gary Billings, Michael Mendonca, Sonoma County Mycological Association, Jonathan Labayo, Denny Luan, and 96 other backers
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Pennsylvania State University
Erie, Pennsylvania
BiologyEcology
Open Access
DOI: 10.18258/1490
$4,507
Raised of $4,306 Goal
104%
Funded on 12/31/13
Successfully Funded
  • $4,507
    pledged
  • 104%
    funded
  • Funded
    on 12/31/13

Discussion

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  • Debbie
    DebbieBacker
    Charissa, I'm just so excited about your project! I knew nothing of this fungus until I stumbled across it in EarthSky News. I got a degree in Geology to work with environmental issues, but my true passion is biology. Can't wait to see what you discover. You rock!
    Jan 02, 2014
  • Nathan Battan
    Nathan BattanBacker
    Pleeease don't allow anyone to weaponize the knowledge gained from this research! ;) Good luck, Ms. de Bekker.
    Dec 31, 2013
  • Abraham Matlak
    Abraham Matlak Backer
    As a beginning mycologist I am very excited about your project. I hope it brings success!
    Dec 30, 2013
  • Michael Mendonca
    Michael MendoncaBacker
    I am so super happy this got funded!! Way to go guys, we get to see this awesome fungus even closer and find out more about it!
    Dec 30, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thanks for your tremendous support during the campaign Michael
    Jan 01, 2014
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Wow! We've made it! The project is now fully funded! I heard the good news when we just left the house to go celebrate my husband's birthday with a nice dinner (after refreshing this page the whole day long :-)). So, I haven't had time to write a proper update yet about this wonderful achievement we've all reached together but I promise to do so tomorrow.
    Dec 29, 2013
  • Curt Ackley
    Curt AckleyBacker
    So in the ask you anything department, I have only one question: Do you root for the FUNGUS or the ANTS??
    Dec 30, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Though ant societies are incredibly interesting I must say I am rooting for the fungus. But you're asking a microbiologist so what else can I say :)
    Dec 30, 2013
  • Curt Ackley
    Curt AckleyBacker
    CONGRATULATIONS CHARISSA!!!! Can't wait to see your work unfold, now that you are fully funded!!!!
    Dec 29, 2013
  • Robert StGermain
    Robert StGermainBacker
    I forgot to add that I am a study subject in the Harvard Aging Brain Study.
    Dec 29, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thanks Robert! Can't wait to start these studies myself as well. The study you are part of sounds fascinating. Please do tell us about it sometime.
    Dec 29, 2013
  • Robert StGermain
    Robert StGermainBacker
    Charissa, your work is profound and valuable. I wish I could contribute more. Since 90 % of the cells in our body are not US I often wonder what some of these OTHERs are doing to us. Would love to see your findings. Best of luck.
    Dec 29, 2013
  • Joel Marchewka
    Joel MarchewkaBacker
    Sorry it's so small! Good luck!
    Dec 29, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thanks so much for your support Joel. Any donation counts and I appreciate them all equally. The important thing for me is that now I get to share my research with one more person who is interested to learn more about it.
    Dec 29, 2013
  • Crystal Rogers
    Crystal RogersBacker
    I had heard of this research several months ago, but came to the crowd funding by way of either Earth-Sky or Discovery newsletter. I forget which. Keeping fingers crossed for you.
    Dec 29, 2013
  • Peter Bailey
    Peter Bailey Backer
    Utterly fascinating. I hope you make your target and that you win a Nobel prize.
    Dec 29, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    :-) Thanks Peter. Awesome to hear you're fascinated by this as well. We will definitely take this project as far as possible. So much to discover!
    Dec 29, 2013
  • Crystal Rogers
    Crystal RogersBacker
    Good luck! I sure hope you make it!
    Dec 28, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thanks for your support Crystal!
    Dec 28, 2013
  • Curt Ackley
    Curt AckleyBacker
    A'right team... we're all in this together. We've only got 3 more days after today to get this puppy funded. And we only need about $2K, should be a walk in the park, right? Here's what it'll take. We need somebody who can come up with $500, two people who can do $250, five who can do $100, and ten more that can do $25. That can be either new gifts, or some of us doubling down. Who do you know that would be fascinated with this? Charissa, who else do you know who can step up? C'mon zombie lovers and fungus fanatics... we are SOOOOO CLOSE!!!!
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    I like your enthusiasm Curt, and if you break it down like that it doesn't seem like that big of a task. And to answer your question if I know someone who could step up? I sure do and have been working on this today. Keep an eye on the lab notes! I will have some great news to announce later.
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Curt Ackley
    Curt AckleyBacker
    Ahhh okay so we need 1300 bucks. Same gift chart approach applies; just we have our 500 and two 250 gifts already from the company. Still need some 100s, 50s and 25s. I'll double down.
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Cindy Wu
    Cindy WuBacker
    Just upped my donation by $40... donation is not equivalent to a single Benjamin! $$ Good luck!
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Cindy Wu
    Cindy WuBacker
    now equivalent* not not... typing too fast :P
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Curt Ackley
    Curt AckleyBacker
    Cindy, you rock!!! And I LOVE the concept, and the name, of Microryza. Thank you for what you do!!!
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Cindy Wu
    Cindy WuBacker
    Thanks Curt! We all do it for science!
    Dec 28, 2013
  • Viljar Oder
    Viljar OderBacker
    +1 earthsky.org
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Yeah!
    Dec 28, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Overwhelmed by all the backers who jumped in today and are showing their support even this late in the game! Thanks so much to all of you for your donations and with that showing you want this project to succeed. Also, a big thanks to earthsky.org for writing about this project. Most recent backers seem to have found this page through you! So thank you for helping me reach the apparently many more interested people out there! This is giving me hope the funding goal could be reached. For all you backers who just joined, I am working on getting back to you personally to thank you, so check your emails :).
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Victoria S Kim
    Victoria S KimBacker
    Fascinating topic we've all been wondering about since we learned of the zombie ants! Good luck.
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thank you Victoria! Really enjoying these supportive comments. You all make me hopeful I will reach the funding goal!
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Curt Ackley
    Curt AckleyBacker
    Charissa, one of the very underfunded diseases in the Phoenix-Tucson corridor, where it is most prevalent, is the fungus-caused Valley Fever. Do you know anything about this disease, and does your research have implications for it? One reason I wonder about it is because it manifests itself in very different ways, depending on where it attacks. I find myself wondering if it might be a family of fungi, not a single one... but I am not a scientist, so I have no way of knowing. But I happily support your research in the hopes that the more we understand fungi, the better prepared we are to understand all of life! You got a nice bump today from Earth Sky. Any chance you can get another extension on your funding date?? -Curt
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Hi Curt, Thanks so much for backing this project. Compared to for instance bacteria we don't know nearly as much about fungi and like with everything the more we learn, the more prepared we are for certain diseases etc. From what I know, Valley Fever is caused by a different group of fungi, the coccidioides. Ophiocordyceps is part of the ascomycetes. This means that their life cycles are quite bit different. However, the more we learn about the different mycotoxins parasitic fungi use, the better we understand the mechanisms they employ. However, you say this disease manifests itself in very different ways, depending on where it attacks. That sounds a lot like the way I am approaching Ophiocordyceps: it attacks the brain in a different way than it would the muscles. So, the novel techniques I am using in this project (collecting fungal cells in a specific place inside the host) might in the long run benefit research into the pathogen you are describing! I also saw the Earth Sky post today! They did such a good job explaining the project and because of them I am reaching many more people that might be interested!
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Curt Ackley
    Curt AckleyBacker
    Thanks, that's really helpful. Since Valley Fever affects muscles OR brain, I found it intriguing-- as I will your research. I hope all of us here aren't keeping you from it!! ;)
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Mike Massimini
    Mike MassiminiBacker
    Good luck!
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thanks very much Mike! Both for your generous donation and encouragement through this comment section. Love reading these comments!
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Harrison Poulton
    Harrison PoultonBacker
    Charissa, this is a most excellent project you are working on. I have put it up on my wall to see if any of my friends will help fund. I hope they do, but I wish you the best of luck with your research in any case. I hope your ankle is all better now.
    Dec 26, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thanks Harrison! So happy to hear there are people like you who are interested in this project. Also wonderful to hear you are sharing this project with your friends. Spreading the word is key to making this crowdfunding succeed. And yes, my ankle is feeling a lot better now, thanks for asking :)
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Heather Dawn Duncan
    Heather Dawn DuncanBacker
    Great project! Hope you make your goal. :)
    Dec 26, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Hi Heather! Thanks so much for your support. Not much time left but I really hope I will make the goal as well. Would be wonderful to be able to do these experiments and keep on sharing my updates
    Dec 27, 2013
  • Allison Lewis
    Allison Lewis Backer
    Charissa! Excellent Project! - From the LaJeunesse Lab, PSU
    Dec 13, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thanks Allison! It's awesome to get the support from other PSU researchers. Love the stuff your lab is involved in as well! Go LaJeunesse Lab!
    Dec 13, 2013
  • Christopher Stevens
    Christopher StevensBacker
    Read about your work on Reddit. I have always been fascinated by the inner workings of fungi and nervous systems. I am planning to start a graduate degree in cognitive neuroscience to further my passion and would love any direction to resources on this field. Best of luck!
    Dec 09, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Great to see Reddit brought you here! Thanks for backing the project and good luck starting grad school. Cognitive neuroscience is such a fascinating field.
    Dec 10, 2013
  • Anthony Lund
    Anthony LundBacker
    Awesome! Looking forward to seeing what you learn. See you on Monday (or Tuesday if the weather keeps me in Washington.) Cheers, -Tony (The guy with the film crew in your lab)
    Dec 08, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Hi Tony! Thanks for backing the project and I look forward to meeting you. David told us all about you guys visiting our lab this week. It's always a great pleasure having people over that are interested in our work and help us reach out to the public. Our lab is all about open access science and involving those who are interested in learning more about it. The snowy weather is indeed not helping your travel. Hope it clears up tomorrow. Safe travels!
    Dec 08, 2013
  • Will
    WillBacker
    Very interesting, Charissa! Do you have an idea for how your going to setup the analysis yet?
    Dec 08, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thanks, Will! Great question. And yes I already have a plan: For the analysis I am going to compare the gene expression in 3 different conditions: condition 1 where the parasite is not attacking any brain tissue, condition 2 where the parasite is attacking brain tissue during the manipulated biting and condition 3 where the manipulation has taken place, the ant has recently died and the parasite is switching to the next stage. My hypothesis is that the genes that are important during manipulation are not active during the first condition, very much active during manipulation, and are going down again after manipulation has taken place. I will compare these so-called "transcripts" to the genome of the fungus that I am working on right now together with a collaborator, to be able to assign functions to them. We also already have some predictions about which gene functions might be involved in the manipulation from the literature that is available and a metabolomics study we have done ourselves, which hopefully will be published soon. So, we will also try to see how those behave in the 3 test conditions. Hope this answers your question!
    Dec 08, 2013
  • Raquel
    RaquelBacker
    You are above the magic 30% :)
    Dec 07, 2013
  • sabino
    sabinoBacker
    Go, Charissa, go!
    Nov 28, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    :-) Thanks for the encouragement and backing the project! It just got extended by the Microryza Team which means I have more time to try and make the goal.
    Nov 29, 2013
  • Stephen Warnshuis
    Stephen WarnshuisBacker
    Thank you for your work in pursuing such fascinating research. Best of luck to you with reaching your goals!
    Nov 27, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thank you for your encouragement and your interest. I really appreciate it.
    Nov 29, 2013
  • Derrick LaCombe
    Derrick LaCombe
    The link to "AFTER DEATH" which is currently purchasable. http://www.amazon.com/After-Death-Derrick-LaCombe-ebook/dp/B00G7H6XHO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1383795878&sr=1-1&keywords=after+death+derrick+lacombe Thanks
    Nov 27, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Awesome! I will definitely purchase it. The reviews got me very excited.
    Nov 29, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Only 4 days left to reach the goal. 25% has been funded which means a long way to go still but I am so happy to see that 34 of you thought this research is interesting enough to throw some money at it! Of course I really hope more people will be convinced to do so, but I am very grateful for those of you that just decided to jump in and make a contribution. At this point I also want to thank all of you for your tremendous help in spreading the word about my project. Your blogs, tweets and Facebook posts have really brought my research to the attention of lots and lots of people! The latest lab note even made it to reddit and is generating an overwhelming amount of views. http://www.reddit.com/r/biology/comments/1rjmf4/cross_section_of_a_zombie_ant/ If those of you who get to this page through there would consider donating just a couple of bucks I might actually make it to the goal! That's how powerful "the crowd" can be. No donation is too small and the more people get involved, the more of you that are interested in this zombie ant business will be able to stay up to date on our progress studying this phenomenon through the lab notes that I will be posting regularly.
    Nov 27, 2013
  • Derrick LaCombe
    Derrick LaCombe
    To, Charissa de Bekker. I found this site by way of the Zombie Research Society. I would like to thank you, Ms. Bekker for your awesome research. My novel, "After Death" (released October 2013) is based off zombie ant research and the fungus that causes the disease. It's also based off my own bout with West Nile Virus. There is a little bit of everything in this book, including why the Mayan people unexpectedly evacuated their cities. You can download a FREE copy of the book from Amazon on December 14th. Link to the book below: http://www.amazon.com/After-Death-Derrick-LaCombe-ebook/dp/B00G7H6XHO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1383795878&sr=1-1&keywords=after+death+derrick+lacombe Thanks, Derrick Lacombe derricklacombe@hotmail.com
    Nov 27, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thank YOU for being interested! Your book sounds intriguing and I would love to read it. I will most definitely download it when it's published! Thanks!
    Nov 27, 2013
  • Michael Mendonca
    Michael MendoncaBacker
    Referred from David Hughes at PSU. What an exciting project. I've loved ant's and entomology ever since I played SimAnt when I was about 5 or 6. Exciting work you're doing!
    Nov 09, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thanks! Happy to hear it excites others as well :-). Can't wait to get into the lab to start working on this project. So curious about what the results will bring.
    Nov 09, 2013
  • John Scott Tynes
    John Scott TynesBacker
    This is great. I have been fascinated by this fungus since I first read about it in the mid-1990s in a book about the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles. I am currently writing a novel about a society of humans that have been behaviorally suborned by a fungus much like this, and that practice trepanation to relieve pressure on the brain and extend life as the fungus metastasizes inside. Best of luck on your project!
    Nov 09, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Thanks! It is great to know there are people out there that are also fascinated by tho phenomenon. It was my drive to jump fields and start studying this. Your novel sounds right up my alley. Let me know when it's finished. Thanks again and best of luck on your novel!
    Nov 09, 2013
  • Jessica Buckland
    Jessica BucklandBacker
    Rock on!
    Nov 08, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    :-)
    Nov 09, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Hope you guys enjoy the background information in the videos on this page! If you would like more background information or have any questions, or just want to let me know what you think of the project, leave a comment! As I am very excited about this whole crowdfunding event, I am checking this page a couple of times a day.
    Nov 07, 2013
  • Charissa de Bekker
    Charissa de BekkerResearcher
    Hi everyone! Thanks very much for being interested in my research. I have been meaning to get a video up so I can give you a tour through our lab. Unfortunately, a sprained ankle is making me less mobile at the moment, but as soon as I can move around again I'll make sure to get on it! So stay tuned!
    Oct 30, 2013