2026年6月19日 美国东部时间上午11:29 / 哥伦比亚广播公司/法新社
马来西亚科学家发现了一种新的寄生真菌物种，这种真菌以“僵尸真菌”为食，后者会感染昆虫并使其经历恐怖死亡。
该新物种发现于马来西亚管辖的婆罗洲丛林中，这片大岛以其生物多样性丰富的热带雨林闻名。马来西亚沙巴大学热带生物学与保护研究所的研究人员通过多次野外考察采集了样本，相关研究已发表在《新西兰植物学杂志》上。
该研究所副主任贾亚·西林·萨蒂亚·西林周五对法新社表示，这种真菌被称为“重寄生真菌”，因为它“实际上寄生于主要病原体”。
“这种真菌属于侧虫草属，是一种专门的重寄生真菌，”西林说道。
这个新物种的目标是已经被蛇形虫草属（即“僵尸真菌”）感染的蚂蚁。僵尸真菌会操控被感染昆虫的神经系统，使其行为异常，随后将其杀死并从蚁尸中萌发长出子实体。
“侧虫草并不会直接操控昆虫的神经系统，而是侵入并直接以宿主体内旺盛生长的蛇形虫草组织为食，”西林说。
这种真菌因其独特、明显的角状结构而被命名为Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata。研究人员在对从婆罗洲北部马来西亚沙巴州偏远地区达努谷采集的一只死蚂蚁进行研究后，发现了这个新物种。
“这项发现凸显了婆罗洲热带雨林的巨大科学价值，这里复杂的生态相互作用不断挑战我们对地球生命的认知，”研究人员周五在社交媒体帖子中表示。“除了发现稀有生物体带来的兴奋之外，这项研究还强调了保护热带生态系统的重要性——这些生态系统孕育着无数尚未被记录的物种和生态关系。”
马来西亚科学家在婆罗洲丛林中还发现了另一种新的寄生真菌物种，以捕食蜘蛛的“僵尸真菌”为食。沙巴大学热带生物学与保护研究所
该研究成果还于4月发表在植物分类学顶级期刊《Phytotaxa》上。
这并非同类首种重寄生真菌，但“这是世界上已知的首个该属成员拥有这种高度独特的角状结构，”西林说道。
在野外考察期间，科学家们还发现了一种新的杀蜘蛛真菌，该真菌会在杀死蜘蛛前通过蛛体传播孢子。
“这些新记录的真菌具有巨大潜力……既可作为开发下一代抗菌药物的来源，也可作为对抗农业害虫的高效生物防治剂，”西林说。
尽管“僵尸真菌”的概念听起来令人不安，但专家表示人类无需担忧。
不列颠哥伦比亚大学微生物学家吉姆·克龙斯塔德博士对哥伦比亚广播公司新闻表示，虫草属真菌无法像热门HBO剧集《最后生还者》的剧情那样，从感染昆虫进化为感染人类。我们的体温和免疫系统会阻止大多数真菌适应人体，因为它们无法在98.6华氏度以上的温度中存活。
https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/video/is-the-last-of-us-possible-in-real-life/
Scientists discover new parasite in jungle that preys on insect-killing “zombie fungus”
June 19, 2026 11:29 AM EDT / CBS/AFP
Malaysian scientists have discovered a new species of parasitic fungus that preys on “zombie fungus” known to infect insects before subjecting them to a gruesome death.
The new species was found in the jungles on Malaysia’s part of Borneo, a large island known for its biodiverse rainforests. Samples were collected during multiple field trips conducted by the University of Malaysia Sabah’s Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, and the research was published in the New Zealand Journal of Botany.
It was dubbed a “hyperparasite” because it “effectively parasitizes the primary pathogen,” the institute’s Deputy Director Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan told AFP on Friday.
“The fungus belongs to the genus Pleurocordyceps and acts as a specialized hyperparasite,” Seelan said.
The new species targets ants already infected by Ophiocordyceps, or “zombie fungus,” which manipulates the infected insect’s nervous system and makes it behave erratically before killing it and bursting from its carcass.
“Rather than manipulating the insect’s nervous system itself, Pleurocordyceps infiltrates and feeds directly on the thriving Ophiocordyceps tissue inside the host,” Seelan said.
Named after its unique, distinctly horn-shaped structure, Pleurocordyceps cornusynnemata was discovered after scientists studied a dead ant collected from the Danum Valley, a remote area in the Malaysian state of Sabah, the northern part of Borneo.
“The discovery highlights the immense scientific value of Borneo’s rainforests, where intricate ecological interactions continue to challenge our understanding of life on Earth,” the researchers said in a social media post on Friday. “Beyond the excitement of finding a rare organism, this research underscores the importance of conserving tropical ecosystems that harbour countless species and ecological relationships yet to be documented.”
Malaysian scientists have discovered a new species of parasitic fungus in Borneo’s jungles that preys on “zombie fungus” that are known to infect insects. University of Malaysia Sabah’s Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation
The discovery was also published in Phytotaxa, the leading journal in taxonomic botany, in April.
It is not the first hyperparasite of its kind, but “it is the world’s first known member of its genus to feature this highly distinct horn-shaped structure,” Seelan said.
During the field trips, scientists also discovered a new species of spider-killing fungus, which spreads spores through the arachnid before killing it.
“These newly documented fungi hold immense potential … both as sources for developing next-generation antimicrobial drugs and as highly effective biocontrol agents against agricultural pests,” Seelan said.
While the idea of “zombie fungus” sounds scary, experts say humans shouldn’t be worried.
Dr. Jim Kronstad, a microbiologist at the University of British Columbia, told CBS News that it’s not possible for cordyceps fungi to adapt from infecting insects to humans, as depicted in a storyline in the hit HBO series “The Last of Us.” Our body temperature and immunity prevent most fungal species from adapting to the human body because they cannot survive beyond 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/video/is-the-last-of-us-possible-in-real-life/