Publications
New Popular Science Book In The Works!
How Science Shapes Zombie Movies:
What Horror Cinema Can Teach Us About Biology
In the dimly lit ecosystem of the silver screen, the zombie represents a timeless manifestation of our deepest anxieties about disease, decay, and death. While their fictional characterization has changed over the years, evolving from undead revenants to creatures animated by viral infections, they are all born of our very real fears, and are thus invariably tethered to our understanding of life and its fundamental principles. In this book, we will venture forth into that wilderness of imagination made film, observing the zombie in its many cinematic habitats in search of the scientific premises interwoven throughout their stories. Exciting discoveries await us as we explore where biological principles are stretched, where they break, and where — terrifyingly — they ring true.
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Publications Key
Brown - Popular science books (coming soon!)
Green - Biology research publications
Blue - Pedagogical publications
Purple - Adaptations for Kids
** - Undergraduate researchers
2026
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Barnhart, J.**, Roosmalen, E., Goebbels, M., de Bekker, C., Beckerson, W. C., Swafford, A. J. M. (2025). A reproducible pipeline for circadian rhythm analysis of automated extraction of insect behavioral and social dynamics. bioRxiv. Preprint available
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Beckerson, W. C., Goebbels, M., Miller, B. J., St. Charles, N., Murray, J., de Bekker, C. (2026). Zombie ants VR: Trial-and-error gameplay mechanics can be used to teach players about natural selection. European Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/18457
2025
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Beckerson, W. C., Werner, S., Goebbels, M., Ramalho, J. J., Soroka, I., Wingert, S. T., Swafford, A. J. M., Ruijtenberg, S., Boxem, M., Stephens, G. J., van den Heuvel, S., de Bekker, C. (2025). The first of us: Ophiocordyceps use a novel scramblase-binding peptide to manipulate zombie ants. bioRxiv. Preprint. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.09.674826
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Beckerson, W. C. (2025). Neuroparasitology: Fungal effectors induce feeding in zombie silkworms. Current Biology, 35(11), PR760-PR762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.06.069
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Beckerson, W. C., Krider, C.**, Mohammad, U.**, de Bekker, C. (2025). Which chemical makes ants walk like zombies? Science Journal for Kids. https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/which-chemical-makes-ants-walk-like-zombies/. adapted from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.06.011
2024​
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Beckerson, W. C. (2024). Replicating Darwin’s theory: Teaching evolution with microbiology by means of replica plating. CourseSource. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2024.34
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Beckerson, W. C., Anderson, J. O., Kulkarni, S., Perpich, J. D., Yoder-Himes, D. (2024). It’s about time: Exploring the dose-dependent effects of active learning on students of different social personalities in an upper-level biology course. Journal of College Science Teaching, 53(2), 177-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/0047231X.2024.2316378
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Beckerson, W. C., Laraba, I., Torres-Cruz, T. J., Steinkraus, D., Hajek, A. (2024). Mechanisms of host manipulation and mimicry in fungi. In: Haelewaters D. (ed.) Biodiversity and evolution of fungal parasites and pathogens. Elsevier. (ISBN: 978-0323885324). Authorea. Preprint https://doi.org/10.22541/au.172124619.90197485/v1
2023
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Beckerson, W. C., Krider, C.**, Mohammad, U. A.**, de Bekker, C. (2023). 28 minutes later: Investigating the role of aflatrem-like compounds in Ophiocordyceps parasite manipulation of zombie ants. Animal Behaviour, 203, 225-240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.06.011
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Will, I., Beckerson, W. C., de Bekker, C. (2023). Using machine learning to predict protein-protein interactions between a zombie ant fungus and its carpenter ant host. Scientific Reports, 13, 13821. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-40764-8
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de Bekker, C., Beckerson, W. C., Carolyn, E. (2023). How do some fungi turn insects into zombies? Science Journal for Kids. https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-do-some-fungi-turn-insects-into-zombies/. adapted from: https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01872-21
2022
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Beckerson, W. C. (2022). Small organisms with big consequences: Understanding the microbial world around us. CourseSource. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.27
​2021
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De Bekker, C., Beckerson, W. C., Carolyn, E. (2021). Mechanisms behind the madness: How do zombie-making fungal entomopathogens affect host behavior to increase transmission? mBio, 12(5), e01872-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01872-21
2020
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Beckerson W. C., Anderson, J. O., Perpich, J. D., Yoder-Himes, D. (2020). An introvert’s perspective: Analyzing the impact of active learning on social personalities in an upper-level biology course. Journal of College Science Teaching, 49(3), 47-57. https://doi.org/10.2505/4/jcst20_049_03_47​​​