Nothing is more terrifying than when fiction becomes reality. The worst nightmare could occur when an imagination that began in the deepest corners of a person’s mind becomes the harsh reality. What if we told you that the terrifying scenario depicted in the hit TV series “Last of Us” would actually come to pass? Mycologists admitted to DailyMail that there may be some validity to the scenario.
For those of us who haven’t watched the show, it depicts a post-apocalyptic world where a mind-controlling fungus has spread from ants to people as a result of climate change.
Speaking to DailyMail, a researcher at the Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Manchester University has revealed that the storyline isn’t all that far-fetched.
According to Norman van Rhijn, the programme ‘has taken inspiration from scientific proof and has somewhat sensationalised that.’
The mind-controlling fungus known as cordyceps, according to another mycologist named Joo Arajo of The New York Botanical Garden, originally evolved to jump inside ants.
Because both species occurred to be present in the same tree trunk, the cordyceps was first found in beetles before moving on to ants.
What prevents it from launching into people? Not a lot. Norman van Rhijn said that although it might not occur during our lifetimes, ‘never say never.’
He argues that the immunity of our entire species would need to shift in order for the zombie fungus to infect the human population.
What is currently protecting us is our temperatures. The fungus can withstand temperatures up to 80 Fahrenheit. Our bodies are much warmer at around 98 Fahrenheit.
Cordyceps might not be a threat right now, but other fungi are. In October 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever list of heath-threatening fungi, including 19 that pose the greatest threat.
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