Scientists have discovered a fungus that turns spiders into “zombies,” luring the arachnids out of their lairs before killing ...

Scientists in Europe have discovered a new species of fungus, Gibellula attenboroughii, that turns cave-dwelling spiders into ...

While filming the BBC Winterwatch television series in Northern Ireland, the crew discovered a dead body. It was a spider’s dead body, which is not nearly as alarming as other types of corpses ...

That work led them to the conclusion that this was a native fungus specific to indigenous cave-dwelling spider species. The fungus favours man-made habitats like culverts, tunnels and cellars.

But the fungus, named gibellula attenboroughii, has been discovered to alter the behaviour of cave-dwelling orb weaver spiders, known for their geometric webs. Basically the fungus goes on to ...

Upon infection, it forces cave-dwelling spiders out of their lairs and onto cave walls, where they hang before they die out in the open. “Infected spiders exhibit behavioural changes similar to ...