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Yartsa Gunbu 2011 Carpenter Ant Is Higher up in the Drier Not to Be Confused with My Amazon Was a Lousy Year

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Yartsa Gunbu 2011 Carpenter Ant Is Higher up in the Drier Not to Be Confused with My Amazon Was a Lousy Year Daniel Winkler the best chances to spread its spores authored with Simon Elliot and Harry far and wide. The usual habitat of this Evans (yes, Harry of CABI, UK and o collectors of Yartsa gunbu 2011 carpenter ant is higher up in the drier not to be confused with my Amazon was a lousy year. The BBC (Jolly, canopy. At the end of the branch the MushRoaming buddy, Missoula 2011) broadcasted that caterpillar zombie ant bites into the vein below mycologist Larry Evans) presented the Tfungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) was the leaf, a behavior healthy ants do not split into four of aforementioned species the “Curse of the Himalayas,” but all display. Interestingly, once the ant bites native to the highly endangered Atlantic in all, it was a stellar fungal year in the the leaf, its mandibles lock, a reaction forest of Brazil. As it turned out each Western media. From NPR and National known as a “death grip.” A physiological ant species had their personal poisonous Geographic Daily News to Men’s Journal change in the mandibular muscles parasite. This split indicates there might and The New York Post (Giove, 2011) caused by the fungal parasite “transforms be a much higher diversity within the Cordyceps mushroomed on the networks functional mandibles into death grip entomophagous fungi, and more of and in print. Furthermore, not just lock-jaws.” Already in 2010 Hughes et them might turn out to be so narrowly Tibetan caterpillar fungus thrived but al. published a paper that showed this host specific. Zombie Ants crawled into the limelight. “death-grip behavior” was already in Very intriguing were the photos, existence around 48 million years ago as which made it on National Geographic evidenced in a fossil record from now Daily News (2011), and especially the Messel, Germany. Furthermore, in 2011 ost media research results published by a team the gene was identified that activates attention, however, around Penn State’s David Hughes. “topism” in gypsy moths (Lymantria The media, like Discover Magazine dispar). Topism, which was already zoomed in on a tragic (Zimmer, 2011), Huffington Post, BBC, described in 1890 as Wipfelkrankheit caterpillar fungus event countless blogs and many others leapt on (“tree top disease”) by the German fascinating articles with titles referring biologist Hofmann, is the phenomena … a crime so hideously to zombie ants, whose existence is that infected moths will climb to the top committed, it was nothing new to science, but apparently of a tree to die and liquefy, and by doing impossible to conceal. to the news people. Hughes, Andersen, so, spreading far and wide the infective Hywell-Jones et al. (2011) explain “The viral particles of the Baculovirus that term zombie ants underlines that, made the caterpillar climb the tree in while the manipulated individual may the first place. Kelli Hoover, a Penn State Most media attention, however, look like an ant, it represents a fungal colleague of Hughes, co-authored a zoomed in on a tragic caterpillar fungus genome expressing fungal behavior paper (Hoover et al., 2010) on finding the event – no, not the tragedy that happens through the body of an ant.” The paper gene that triggers the behavior, a finding annually to the literally billions of poor is entitled “Behavioral mechanisms and that went beyond the entomoparasitic ghost moth larvae, but a tragic tale that morphological symptoms of zombie community—not sure if I like to be took place when eight Nepalis were ants dying from fungal infection.” It part of that community!—since it killed when stealthily collecting Yartsa was “found that infected ants behave also was the first solid genetic proof gunbu, as Tibetans and Himalayan as zombies and display predictable of Richard Dawkins’ 1982 theory on inhabitants know Ophiocordyceps stereotypical behaviors of random rather extended phenotype, which suggested sinensis. The eight poachers were busted than directional walking [...]. Transitions “that the genes of an organism can by a local posse while intruding onto the from erratic wandering to death grips on be expressed beyond its immediate caterpillar fungus turf above a remote a leaf vein were abrupt and synchronized biological boundary, extending for village in the Annapurna region. In a around solar noon.” example to birds’ nests, or the behavior nut shell, one poacher got killed in the Hughes’ team researched the of hosts infected by parasites” (Science process of “teaching” the intruders a mechanisms that make the infected Daily, 2009), a hot topic in evolutionary lesson. As a result 36 villagers went Camponotus leonardi ants in the biology. Finally the article “Hidden along with the brilliant idea to kill the Thai rainforest move to the end of a Diversity Behind the Zombie-Ant remaining seven poachers in hope low, shady branch in a more humid Fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis” that no one would ever find out what environment where the fungus has (Evans et al., 2011). Hughes co- happened in the dark of the night to the 34 FUNGI Volume 5:3 WWF’s Norbu sharing the author’s Yartsa gunbu maturity chart with Yabu. Zadoi County, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Yabu collecting above Da Nge Valley in Zadoi, Yushu, Qinghai, 4800m Eric Hansen, Britt Bunyard (Editor in displayed as a contributor to the Fox (15,000ft). Yartsa gunbu collection Chief of FUNGI) and myself. The gist of News misinformation service. It is not is her main income. She has been Silverman’s story was that Cordyceps has surprising that even Fox News picked up collecting since 25 years, since her early no proven medical value, a statement a caterpillar fungus crime story, it has childhood. that ignores decades of medical research, all the elements of tabloid news: exotic especially in East Asia. A great and location, mass murder and sex. To sell one poor fellow. With eight men gone critical review of Cordyceps sinensis a mushroom story to the mainstream missing and 36 perpetrators—although medical research was published by media is an even more uphill battle sworn to silence—a crime so hideously Paterson in 2008 committed was impossible to conceal. already showing Soon most men of the village were potential uses and arrested and finally in November 2011 dire need of more six of the villagers received life sentences rigorous Western for their role in the killings and thirteen research. others received a two year prison term. Fox News Returning to their slopes for hunting even ran a piece Yartsa gunbu this spring the spirit of the on the story. collectors will surely be weighed down by They contacted the tragic and monstrous act of the past. me for a Yartsa Although the Nepali Caterpillar gunbu image; fungus murders were already published however, they by Jamie James in Men’s Journal in June were not willing 2010, Eric Hansen’s long feature entitled to pay. When “The Killing Fields” in Outside Magazine the Fox News in August 2011 triggered all kinds of representative secondary reports including a short, but tried harder to get good piece in Huffington Post, the BBC my image for free, and several reports on NPR. And since by dangling the Hansen declared me the “the world’s honors of having foremost yarchagumba expert” [using my name on Fox the Nepali version of Yartsa gunbu] I was News, I probably contacted by a bunch of media outlets disappointed including NPR, which really excited me, her by informing since I am a listener-supporter of many her that I did years. NPR’s Lauren Silverman produced not regard it a story called “Caterpillar Fungus: The as an honor to Viagra of the Himalayas” featuring have my name FUNGI Volume 5:3 35 source. I personally first came across this mysterious reference in the writings of George Halpern in 2004 and wrote him requesting more specifics. He kindly replied and suggested I should check with his Chinese research assistant Josh Zhu (Zhu Jia-Shi), who is now senior scientist at Nu Skin, busily working on Cordyceps skin products in Utah. Back then, Dr. Zhu wrote me there was no such source. And, so far, I have not managed to find it anywhere else, although I keep looking since it is not impossible that there might be an older Chinese record than the 1694 compendium of material medica Ben Cao Bei Yao by Wang An, now commonly quoted as the first reference in Chinese medicine. Cordyceps as medicinal fungus… a challenge to the West Tibetan collectors searching the ground for the tiny brown fruiting bodies of Reducing caterpillar fungus to an Yartsa gunbu. In the background a collectors’ camp used for six weeks in Da Nge aphrodisiac and comparing it to Tiger Valley 4700m (14,600ft) in Zadoi County, Yushu, Qinghai. penis and Rhino horn, as James does than climbing a steep slope at 15,000 the sixth century, but I am sure at some in his Men’s Journal feature, might feet while searching for a the elusive point we will find some website that will suit the publication, but does not do caterpillar fungus as gales, laden with offer evidence the internet was already justice to this medicinal fungus, but icy sleet, threaten to knock you off your up and running back then (but only that would be a whole different story. feet. But the media, ever subservient known to a sworn-in circle of Templars, Also, an omnipresent favorite in many to their readers and their low instincts aliens and Kung Fu masters). Still, this reports is the term “Himalayan Viagra’” needs a powerful hook. And, crime laced mysterious Tang Dynasty text is kept coined by journalists; I suspect Indian with a bit of sex fills that role smugly.
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