Zombies are real - just ask the parasites taking over the bodies and brains of insects and rodents, leading them to their doom

The fungus Ophiocordyceps (stalk growing out of the ant’s head) helped inspire the video game and show “The Last of Us.” Denis Zabin/iNaturalist , CC BY-SA Zombies are real – just ask the parasites taking over the bodies and brains of insects and rodents, leading them to their doom Published: October 30, 2026 8.13pm GMT https://theconversation.com/zombies-are-real-just-ask-the-parasites-taking-over-the-bodies-and-brains-of-insects-and-rodents-leading-them-to-their-doom-292955 https://theconversation.com/zombies-are-real-just-ask-the-parasites-taking-over-the-bodies-and-brains-of-insects-and-rodents-leading-them-to-their-doom-292955 Link copied Share article Share article

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Zombies have taken many forms in popular culture. In Michael Jackson’s “ Thriller ” music video, corpses climb out of their graves and perform an impressively coordinated dance. In HBO’s “ The Last of Us ,” a fungus infects humans, takes over their bodies and turns them into hosts that help spread the infection. Even Plankton has tried his hand at taking control of another organism in “ SpongeBob SquarePants .”