These days, we can use social media to find just about anything we’d want—apartments, jobs, the latest viral videos…or even a virus-based treatment for bacterial infections.

The zombie fungus, Ophicordyceps unilateralis, hides deep within tropical rainforests and parasitizes upon ants from the Camponotini tribe. They turn ants into fungus-producing machines by manipulating gene expression that alter the ant’s sensory response, musculature, and nervous system.

Ants have learned to farm 50 million years ago, way before humans did. Their crop of choice? Fungus.

As paintings age, they accumulate volatile hydrocarbons, dead or living cells, dust that breed fungal spores, and bacteria. This agglomeration of material serves as a nutrient source for a number of microbes and leads to biodeterioration.

How did life as we know it come to be and how can caves help us understand the microbial world? Here, we take a look at how cave microbes give us clues into the evolution of aerobic life, extremophiles, and antimicrobial resistance.