Mindy Weisberger, a science writer and media producer, is a senior science editor at Scholastic. Her work has appeared in numerous outlets, including CNN.com, Live Science, and Scientific American.
Description
Introduction: Puppetmasters, Puppets, and What Makes a "Zombie Bug" 1. Zombifiers: An Origin Story 2. Zombifying Fungus: Zombie Ants 3. Zombifying Fungus: Zombie Flies, Beetles and Millipedes 4. Zombifying Fungus: Zombie Cicadas 5. Zombifying Viruses: The Attack of the Ooze 6. Zombifying Wasps: The Original Chestbursters 7. Zombifying Wasps: Zombie Spiders, Roaches and Ladybugs 8. Zombifying Flies: Ant Decapitators and Rise of the ZomBees 9. Zombifying Worms: What Lies Within 10. Our Zombie Future Acknowledgements Bibliography Notes
In this absorbing, richly researched book, Mindy Weisberger has created a one-of-a-kind work of art and science—a fascinating, funny, and terrifying examination of one of natures most interesting evolutionary quirks, the zombifying parasite. Its Charles Darwin meets George Romero in this strange and beautifully written study of one of the most obscure corners of our natural world.
—Jay Bonansinga, coauthor of The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor
Horror movie zombies are frightening and fun to contemplate. But imaginary zombies pale to blandness when you meet the real zombies: the in-the-wild, virus-driven, six-or-more-legged (and sometimes winged!) zombies that Mindy Weisberger so lovingly, appreciatively affixed to these pages.
—Marc Abrahams, cofounder/editor, Annals of Improbable Research
Rise of the Zombie Bugs is an excellent—and terrifying—read. Weisbergers extensively researched science writing is complemented by her command of zombie films in pop culture. This book will forever change your perspective on what it means to be successful in the natural world. Parasites are the original zombie maker—and its fantastic to see them so well represented!
—Carin Bondar, author of Wild Moms: Motherhood in the Animal Kingdom
As Mindy Weisbergers fascinating book Rise of the Zombie Bugs demonstrates, weve been looking for zombies in all the wrong places. And her successful quest to find the tiny real-life versions is a testament to how wonderfully complicated—and totally weird—life on this planet really is.
—Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Poison Squad: One Chemists Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
Deeply researched, deeply disturbing, and deeply fascinating. The world of real-life parasitic behavior-altering organisms that Weisberger leads us through is captivating, and well worth filling your brain with . . . while its still yours to control.
—Ryan North, author of How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain