A DIFFERENT VIEW in the Darkness Amazonian

Stories

Don’t Fear the Walking Dead

The ominous hoot of the owl, and the howl of the wind. A forest of bare, tortured limbs. Halloween imagery is ubiquitous and sanitized today. In its original incarnation, Halloween was a day that marked the transition between the bountiful autumn harvests, and the long, cold dark of winter. We will know The little secrets of the darkness.

 

The boundary between the living and the dead, when the veil between this life and the next is at its thinnest. Straddling that divide, lies an organism. Undistinguished, it doesn’t carry the hallmarks of a Hallmark’s card or the pantomimed horrors of a Hollywood production.

 

Rather, it is the unsettling consumption of life before our very eyes. Robbed of agency, of what makes us human. It is us, stripped of who we are. Seen through the human lens, it is the Zombie. But before there was the Zombie, there was Cordyceps.

 

Cordyceps.

 

We have seen a world transformed this year; Macroeconomics upset by a microorganism and it’s left us unsettled. There are two narratives; one of fear and one of understanding, or as Marie Curie, the Nobel laureate in both Physics and Chemistry put it, “nothing in life is to be feared, only understood”.

The little secrets of the darkness…

The story of Cordyceps is both a homage to and a warning from nature. It begins with a fungal spore. Either fallen from the sky above or adsorbed to the feet from below, it adheres to the insect’s (or arachnid) chitinous exoskeleton. Whereupon it begins to secrete digestive enzymes, proteases, and chitinases, which slowly weaken the membrane and provide both foods for the germinating spore, and a so-called “penetration pathway”. Through a kind of mechanical pressure, a hollow tube forces its way through the dermal layers and into the insect’s hemolymph, essentially the bloodstream. From here the infection spreads throughout the host’s body.

 

Cordy fungus

 

The fungus then secretes hormones that affect the brain, ultimately controlling the behavior of the host, bending it to the will of the fungus. Or so it was thought…Until recently, this was the dominant narrative. However, new research has emerged that Cordyceps might in fact achieve host control through a more mechanical means. Electron micrographs show the fungal mycelia, long, probing, thread-like growths, wrapped around the muscles of hosts, perhaps pushing and pulling the host along, like some grotesque puppet. Infected insects move jerkily, leaving the safe confines of their nests or shelters. They venture out into the open spaces, climbing until they are well above the ground. Only then do they bite down on the stem or branch, their mandibles locked in what will be their deathly repose. Now the scene has been set, and the fungus waits only for the right environmental conditions; humidity and peak host activity.

A scary ending…

Thereupon, a shoot emerges from the head of the insect. It grows into a long stalk terminating in a sac. This sac holds millions of spores, ready to rain down upon the unsuspecting heads of a beleaguered insect populace. Day by day, month by month, in the rainforest understory the walking dead march on irrespective of calendar dates. Happy Halloween.

 

Cordy

 

By Paul Bertner

Follow Paul on Flickr 

  • What our guest say

    • Valuation Excellent
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Dreamer627120 March 2024

The lodge is located in the middle of the forest accessible only by boat. The experience was very unique and exciting. Service is great, and the fun part are the nature activities and tours the hotel offers for free. We had an amazing tour guide that had a lot of knowledge and was fun to spend time with. The rooms are totally open to the forest which is really cool the struggle is the there is no privacy at all in between the rooms, also food was pretty basic. All together a very unique experience. Read all

This hotel is the perfect blend of comfort and hospitality, with the natural experience. The hotel is reached by a hours boat ride from Puerto Maldonado, expertly organized and accomplished. Most staff are members of the local Esa Ejja community. The food is good and plentiful. Hot water is always available and lovely bedding features mosquito nets. There is of course no air conditioning (one side wall is open in rach room) and the electricity is off for a few hours at night affecting overhead fans, so I was glad to have brought a small battery powered fan for sleeping. But the best of the experience is the wildlife. Our expert guide Oscar Mishaja introduced us to nearly 100 bird species, along with caimans, river otters, poison dart frogs and capybara. A trip of a lifetime. Read all

Excellent experience overall— really kind and welcoming staff at every point of the journey. All transfers were well organized and smooth. Excellent and educational excursions all around the rainforest. Delicious food for every meal. We had wonderful guides- Freet and Alvaro. Enjoyed our time here! Read all

Unbelievable.... Magical Everything I have dreamed of since I was 8 years old but MORE Read all

We had a surreal experience at Refugio Amazonas. From the well organized transportation to the warm welcome, hospitality and the experience of living in nature - we loved it all. Huge shout out to our guide Boris who went out of his way to ensure we had a good experience and got to watch all kinds of wild life. The meals and cocktails were delicious. And even though this place is smack in the middle of the jungle there was super fast WiFi available. We made unforgettable memories. Read all

We had an amazing time in TRC. From the guide, tours, lounge staff, food and room, everything has exceeded our expectation and like an amazing dream came true. We highly recommend to directly book with the lounge website, so that you got a private guide for your group. Special thanks to our guide Saul, who made this experience extra special! We were so impressed by his knowledge about all the animals and the rainforest. Read all

We had an amazing time in TRC. From the guide, tours, lounge staff, food and room, everything has exceeded our expectation and like an amazing dream came true. This is the only lounge available in Tambopata national park, and this eco lounge takes environment seriously. We highly recommend to directly book with the lounge website, so that you got a private guide for your group. Special thanks to our guide Saul, who made this experience extra special! We were so impressed by his knowledge about all the animals and the rainforest. If you are a natural lover, you can’t miss this place Read all

Excellent and luxurious place, wonderful experience and our guide Boris was first class, he had a unique patience with my 8 year old son. An experience in the tropical rainforest that marks the life of its visitors. In addition to the scientific research that takes place in the place: a whole research center. Rooms: Very comfortable and luxuriou Read all

El mejor hotel para visitar la Amazonia peruana. Hotel eco turístico metido en medio de la selva, equipado para visitar y vivir la selva, su flora y fauna, en todas sus facetas. Todo incluido, con guías preparados y amables, resultó una experiencia increíble para mi familia. Dentro de las opciones no se debe perder el Canopy de 45 metros de altura para observar y escuchar la selva, así como el lago de las tres Chimbadas, lugar único para ver caimanes, nutrias gigantes, monos y aves exóticas. Recomiendo mínimo dos noches!!! Read all

Wunderbare lodge mit freundlichen Menschen. sehr persönliche guides, tolle Tourangebote und super kulinarische Verpflegung ! Wir wurden herzlichst von Caesar empfangen und unser guide JuanJo hat uns phantastische Dinge gezeigt. Wir können die lodge nur wärmstens empfehlen! Read all

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