Book & podcast collection

Rise of the Zombie Bugs: The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind-Control

byMindy Weisberger

Science writer Mindy Weisberger investigates the real parasites that alter the bodies and behavior of their hosts in ways stranger than fictional zombies. Fungi compel insects to climb, worms drive animals toward water, and viruses manipulate movement and reproduction, each through mechanisms shaped by evolution. Weisberger introduces researchers uncovering these relationships and explains what host control reveals about brains, immunity, ecology, and adaptation. The book balances unsettling detail with scientific wonder, showing that a manipulated animal is not simply a victim but part of an intricate evolutionary contest between competing organisms.

Publisher

Johns Hopkins University Press

Publication date

2025-04-15

Format

Hardcover

Pages

344

ISBN

9781421451350