"As I’m sure you know, there is a fungus –
Ophiocordyceps unilateralis – that infects the brains
of carpenter ants and it turns them into zombie
slaves, more or less. What happens is that the ants
climb to the underside of leaves near the forest
floor, secure themselves to the leaves and then die,
becoming a food source for the fungus.
Eventually the positioning of the ant corpse serves to
allow the spores to burst out of the ant’s head and
rain down on other ants. This is true. And it’s very
successful. There is fossil record of this occurring up
to 48 million years ago. The thing that’s fascinating
about this to me is that the ant is acting mindlessly
against its own interests and the interests of its fellow
ants by becoming a tool of the fungus. I think a
similar system has evolved in our culture."