Suicide Grasshoppers
I know, I know, I haven't been posting lately, but I'll make it up this weekend. This little piece was actually what jumpstarted me. What you're looking at is a grasshopper that was forced to commit suicide by that parasitic hairworm coming out of its, um, rear. Apparently, hairworms live and grow inside the hoppers, and pump them full of chemicals - sabotaging their central nervous system, and literally pushing them over the edge. Once deceased, the hairworm leaves its host and restarts the cycle anew. I swear, the best stories I get are the science ones.
Suicide Grasshoppers Brainwashed by Parasite Worms [National Geographic]