The researchers fear that the economic downturn could exacerbate the problem — “[parents] build these big houses but the children grow up in emotional silos,” one researcher stated, concluding that it’s only a matter of time until they become brainless hordes in desperate search for human flesh.

(Photo via Ian Aberle on Flickr)

The zombification begins when the egg hatches and a maggot eats the fire ant’s brains. The ant later reanimates, walking around until its head falls off.

In a risky move, some Texas researchers are releasing this parasitic fly to combat fire ant infestation across the state. When will this parasite mutate and begin attacking humans? Could we already be in the process of mutation, with maggots already eating their way through the brains of unwitting Texans?

A zombie maggot plague? I guess this B-movie plot had to hatch in Texas.

(Photo via Alexander Wild on flickr)

The piece includes an interview with Max Brooks, plus a rundown of zombie fighting techniques likely to be useful to field archeologists, including maneuvers that incorporate common excavation tools like the trowel and shovel.

The article warns archeologists to heed the threat of zombies carefully when researching, concluding that precautions “may seem absurd, but you won’t think its funny when you are feasting on the corpses of your friends and fellow researchers, in fact, you won’t be thinking at all.” (Via Archeology)