Last night at the National Geographic Society in Washington, I gave a talk with photographer Anand Varma about how parasites manipulate their hosts–the subject of my cover story in the November issue of National Geographic and Varma’s aesthetic obsession for the past couple years. Along with his gorgeous photos, Varma also showed off some lovely/creepy videos. I thought I’d share a couple of them with you. Pop them into full screen for full appreciation.

First off: Ophiocordyceps, a fungus that takes control of an ant. The fungus spores invade an ant’s body and then fill much its interior with tendrils. Under the fungus’s spell, the ant climbs up a plant and clamps down on the underside of a leaf.