The Art of Being a Zombie Ant Fungus

Cultural entomologist Bridget Nicholls investigates an intriguing natural phenomenon.

An ant becomes infected by a fungus which takes over its nervous system, turning the ant into a vehicle for the fungus’s reproduction and killing the ant in the process. It sounds like science fiction, but it's happening in rainforests around the world.

It's a parasitic relationship that has inspired the TV series The Last of Us, but it also reveals a great deal about control, autonomy and the interconnectedness of the natural world.

With:

Merlin Sheldrake, mycologist and writer

Philip Ball, science writer

Mark Brown, director of the University Museum of Zoology at Cambridge University

Nura Sidarus, Lecturer in Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London

Lore Lixenberg, mezzo-soprano and sound artist

and

Jason Singh, sound artist and composer. Jason's recordings and compositions feature throughout this documentary.

Zombie Ant Fungus: The chemistry of Control is a show created and produced by Bridget Nicholls, and written and directed by Wade McCollum who also performs in the show and composed its music. The original production premiered as a Pestival commission at the Royal Institution of Great Britain.

Presenter: Bridget Nicholls

Producer: Eliane Glaser