Monday, December 6, 2010

Fungi, a Man, and Reclusive Women

This past weekend I spent an above average amount of time (for myself, probably a below average amount of time for most college students,) working on homework.

While working on online anthropolgy homework, I learned about astounding fungi.
*Disclaimer: this is super sick, so avoid reading the following while eating.

A fungus in the Amazonian forest lays on plants and the forest floor, in waiting.
Once an insect or spider crawls by, the fungus attatches itself to the unfortunate creature.
The fungus sticks to the bug's exoskeleton & dissolves a part of it.
Through this opening, the fungus reaches the insect's insides and eats the non-vital organs.
The spider or whatever remains alive and functioning.
After the non-vital organs have been devoured, the fungus eats a part of the bug's BRAIN.
At this point, the fungus has basically created a SPIDER ZOMBIE (!!!); with the brain piece gone, the bug climbs to a high leaf in the forest canopy.
The fungus eats the rest of the insect and then causes it to explode(!!!), sending the fungus spore things to be dispersed throughout the rainforest to lay in waiting again!

...this same fungus has some sort of chemical in it that supresses the human immune system & therefore makes it a great med for transplant patients (of which my daddy was one,) so that their body does not reject the foriegn organ placed in them.
neat, huh???

During my laborious weekend, I also researched other things on the internet:
-C.S. Lewis. I concluded I do indeed want to read all he ever wrote, or most of his works anyways. [Chronicles of Narn, check-dunzo!]
- the Edies Bealeses, of whom Grey Gardens Documentary was of, as well as the 2009 'Grey Gardens' was based on.

1 comment:

  1. That is SO SICK. But really awesome. But I think it will take a while for the awesome to sink in for me over the SICK. :)

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