For decades, science fiction has captured our imaginations with terrifying plots of mind control and human subjugation. But who would have thought that the fungi that turned people into zombies in a popular game-turned-TV-series could be somewhat realistic?

Parasitism and the manipulation of hosts are mechanisms not invented by science fiction writers but rather by... nature itself. There are numerous examples of one organism taking over the body and will of another. In this episode of the OYLA podcast, we will cover nature’s most terrifying manipulators.