Rise of the Zombie Bugs

The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind-Control

By: Mindy Weisberger

Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King

Zombies are all around us—insect zombies, that is. Zombifying parasites reproduce by rewriting their victims' neurochemistry, transforming them into the "walking dead": armies of cicadas, spiders, and other hosts that helplessly follow a zombifier's commands, living only to serve the parasite's needs until death's sweet release (and often beyond).

With vivid description, Mindy Weisberger explains the sinister mechanics of nature's most cunning survival strategies, including the biological marvels and evolutionary intricacies behind zombie ants, mind-controlled beetles, and the fungi and viruses that reprogram their hosts' behavior. Blending scientific rigor with a flair for the macabre, Weisberger takes listeners on a global journey to uncover the dark secrets of parasitic manipulation.

Her examination of these creatures seeks to answer fundamental questions of their existence: why is a bug's world full of zombies, why are arthropods so susceptible to this zombification, and could the creators of zombie bugs ever evolve to do the same to people?

Perfect for fans of horror and science alike, Rise of the Zombie Bugs offers a chilling yet enlightening look at the hidden world of parasites. It's a must-listen for anyone curious about the true terrors lurking in nature's undergrowth and the unnerving beauty of evolution's darker side.

©2025 Mindy Weisberger (P)2025 Tantor Media

No creature is exempt

(As posted in Goodreads)
It's an extremely interesting book pointing out the horrifying possibilities presented by Fungus, bacteria, and viruses in relation to animals of all genres and species! It does get a little boring in the middle when it seems to be presenting the same symptoms and outcomes for individual species, but it comes around in the end to relate it to common diseases, and how it all relates.
And I liked that it presented the book _The Girl with all the Gifts_ (which my daughter's mother in law had just recommended to me in a totally unrelated context) which gives a picture of a kind of external zombification as it might pertain to actual people. Started reading that...