A fungus that turns spiders into zombies has been discovered.
Why it is true
A new species of fungus was discovered in 2025 and infects spiders, controlling their behaviour before killing them. The fungus manipulates the host's nervous system to spread more easily, a phenomenon known as behavioural parasitism.
Source: Publico
Would you rather be asked first?
This is the reading side of the site, so the answer is in the sentence above — that is the whole point of it. Test yourself works the other way round: the question comes on its own, and the fact and the explanation only appear once you have answered.
Related facts
A lichen is a partnership between a fungus and an alga or cyanobacterium.
The largest living organism in the world is an underground fungus in Oregon.
The Darvaza gas crater, known as the 'Door to Hell', has been burning for over 50 years.
Indonesia's Kawah Ijen volcano erupts with blue lava.


