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The Cordyceps mushroom from The Last of Us is real: does it pose a real threat to humanity?

On the left is an image of a wasp infected with the Cordyceps fungus. On the right is an image of an infected person from The Last of Us. | Font: Composition

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Last of us‘ This is the theme of the moment. The 2013 adaptation of the famous video game for the PlayStation was met with applause and excited not only fans of the PS3 game, but also those who see the story for the first time.

And among his many topics of conversation, there is one that has attracted a lot of attention from respected people: Mushroom cordyceps. In the narrative, he is responsible for causing a large percentage of humanity to become zombies and is the one who causes the world’s apocalypse. How is it in real life?

It’s cordyceps mushroom

cordyceps mushrooms in short, they are parasites, of which there are more than 400 species.

They belong to the kingdom of fungi, and many of their species invade insects, replacing their tissues, while their stroma (elongated body) takes on various complex forms protruding from the affected body.

However, in addition to physical changes, mushroom it actually has behavioral control over the insect it’s in.

A striking example is Cordyceps unilateralwhich causes the insect to climb the highest parts of the plants so that it can release its spores and continue this cycle of parasitism with more individuals.

Is it a threat to humans?

In the series ‘Last of us(this is not a scene from a video game), the first chapter is an introduction in which the scientist claims in the interview program that mushroomsmore than viruses and bacteria may be responsible for the apocalypse on the planet.

“There is mushrooms who seek not to kill, but to control. They can change our minds,” he references in the episode to later point out that cordyceps mushroomif it can adapt to the climate, it may attack humans. “What happens if the planet warms up a bit?” he asks.

But this is not possible for humans. In addition, some types cordyceps they are a source of biochemicals for the manufacture of vital immunosuppressive drugs for organ transplants.

In China, some emperors used it as a key compound for longevity, while the Japanese cultivate natural strains to meet the demand for cordyceps to use adenosine.

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Source: RPP

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