Scientists Create Zombie Cockroaches

Reservoir Hill writes "Zombie insects might sound like a B-movie plot device (quicktime video) but to the emerald cockroach wasp (Ampulex compressa), they're a tried and tested way to provide food for their hungry larvae. The wasp relies on cockroaches for its grisly life cycle but unlike many venomous predators, which paralyze their victims before eating them, the wasp's sting leaves the cockroach able to walk, but unable to initiate its own movement. Researchers have discovered that the wasps sting the cockroaches once to subdue them, then administer another, more precise sting right into their victim's brain. The venom works to block a neurotransmitter called octopamine with a similar action to dopamine, which is involved in preparations to execute complex behaviors such as walking. Then the wasp grabs the cockroach's antenna and leads it back to the nest 'like a dog on a leash', says one researcher. The team found that they could restore spontaneous walking behavior in stung cockroaches by giving them a compound that reactivates octopamine receptors in the insects' central nervous system. Researchers were also able to create their own zombies by injecting unstung cockroaches with a compound that blocks the receptors producing a similar effect to that of the venom."

Zombies?

[killmofasta]

ok. Let me see? Which are the Zombie Cockroaches, and which are the scientists? Is there are demonstrateable diffrence? Are they both vying for press? Didn't Mabel, the cow, see little diffrence betweem the Pigs and the Humans in the end of "Animal Farm"

Must favor "unreasonably huge subsidies to the Zombie Cockroaches planet."

With Hunger, Global Warming and catostrophic ozone loss affecting the lives of billions, dont you think the scientests/Zombie Cockroaches have something better to do? Hmmm?

So many freaky parasites so little vomit left...

[F34nor]

This one freaks the shit out of me for some reason. http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=53 [damninteresting.com]

Human Zombies

[Miratus]

This reminds me of a bit of research done by the psychofarmacology department of the University of Rotterdam in the late eighties. They set out to discover if there was any substance to the reports from aid-workers and missionaries in Africa that 'zombies' were for real. Several well-documented cases existed, involving 'dead' individuals returning to their old villages, months or years after their burial, with only hazy memories of what happenend during their time away. With some help from anthropologists it was discovered that the 'zombies' were in fact poisoned with a complex witch-doctor mix of herbs and toxins, the only really important ingredient of which was a powerful neurotoxin of animal origin, which inhibited active thought and the forming of memories. The individual who was doused in this contact-poison would fall into a death-like coma soon afterwards. Then it was simply a matter of digging the body up fast and whacking it over the head a few times to get the person to wake up. If that failed (hitting the proper dosage is a bitch), the grave could be closed, no one the wiser. The 'lucky' ones woke up as addled 'zombies', with no will of their own and able to hear and obey simple instructions and could be sold as slaves. The toxin was recreated by science (without the unnecessary extra ingredients) and proved quite powerful when tested on lab-rats. The neurotoxin blocked key neural pathways, but turned out to be easily 'washed away' by a sufficiently large dose of Na+ ions, such as when the victim ingested common table-salt. Having proved that it there was a scientific truth to the zombie-myth, but finding no easy synthesis of the neurotoxin nor any medical use, the research group moved on. I was given their report while in high-school by one member of the team, who thought it was funny that I was VERY interested in this voodoo-zombie story that she had mentioned to me. I should go look up that report or contact her again for further details, but perhaps someone who is more skilled in research and farmacology can just pull this out of a database for all of us?

Re:Credit where credit is due...

[DerWulf]

It is highly complex but if you watch the video it becomes appearant that any form of sedation would have been an evolutionary advantage so the path could have been strength (wrestle the cockroach 'till it dies) > sedation > mind control. Once reduced to simple steps such complex behaviour is still awesome but less mind-boggling :-D

Zombie ants are cooler

[jordyhoyt]

If you find this amazing, check out the wikipedia article on these amazing parasites [wikipedia.org]!

Good

[ajs318]

This should serve once and for all to dispel the myth of a benevolent creator.

How is this for deja vu

[Daath]

I remembered this [slashdot.org], believe it or not. Almost 6 years to the day ;P Well, who's counting ;P

Re:Credit where credit is due...

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

A simpler form of this behavior was observed by Charles Darwin. Wasps laying eggs on live caterpillars which were eaten alive by wasp larvae! That convinced Darwin that no moral, just, fair God would design such a system. It was one of his motivations in seeking natural explanations for behavior of animals. Darwin wanted to plug the hole, "I am bad because God designed me to be bad and sinful" defense for the sinners. Because if Paley's watchmaker God was true, then every immoral behavior is a designed behavior, specifically created by God. It is ironic that present day fundies paint Darwin in the darkest hue.

The evolution is easily explained. Wasps sting and kill cockroaches and lay an egg on the dead roach to provide ready food for their larvae. Some wasps had less potent venom, strong enough to paralyze but taking longer to kill. These roaches would stay alive longer and provide better, less rotten bodies for the larvae. Now you can see the selection mechanism, give it a few million years and a billion generations, you can see behavior that is incredible.

Re:Credit where credit is due...

[gripen40k]

One of the most amazing adaptations that I have seen in nature come from Japanese honey bees and their ability to thwart attacks from hornets. Check out this [youtube.com], guarantee you will be amazed :).

Re:That is blatant racism

[SwordsmanLuke]

Lose the "o" next time.

Though, to be fair, you might have been asking the GP to unleash further italics on the unsuspecting world, as in "Loose the dogs of war."

Re:Credit where credit is due...

[j_166]

"No, the Bible shows that we have free will to bring joy to our Creator when we choose to worship him." Its not really much of a choice though if its "bring joy to me OR experience eternal suffering and damnation". How about this: you bring me a good donut (I'll leave it up to you to decide if the donut is good or not), OR I bash your fricking teeth in with a baseball bat. Which one would you choose? Remember, the choice is totally yours. Also, remember that the conditions is that its a *good* donut. But I'm not going to tell you what the definition of good is. Ok, well, maybe I'll tell somebody to tell you, but I'm also going to make the explanation completely counter-intuitive to your every day experience. Also, I'm going to tell other people to tell you a conflicting definition of a good donut in hundreds of completely logical and credible ways. Well, what is your choice?