The Cordyceps fungus behind The Last of Us pandemic exists in real life: What is it and does it affect humans?
While the video game and the Max series take us to an extreme scenario, the terrifying invasive agent that transforms its victims is real, and its behavior is unsettling.
The Last of Us is a video game saga created by Naughty Dog for PlayStation over ten years ago, now enjoyed by a broader audience thanks to the Max series, whose second season has just premiered. For newcomers, the story revolves around a pandemic caused by the Cordyceps fungus, turning people into terrifying, zombie-like creatures.
While some describe these infected humans as similar to zombies, they are entirely different. They are still alive but lose control over their actions, leading many to believe they’ve gone mad.
What is Cordyceps?
Cordyceps is a genus of fungi with a mycelium structure resembling white, root-like filaments. It targets insects as its favorite hosts, invading their bodies and gradually replacing their tissues. This process visibly alters their appearance.
Once infected, the Cordyceps fungus spreads across the host’s body, controlling its movements and causing unpredictable behavior. What’s most chilling is that the host remains alive but can no longer act independently. Watching an insect infected by Cordyceps can be deeply unsettling and strikingly similar to the transformations seen in humans within The Last of Us.
Does Cordyceps affect humans?
Fortunately, no. The fungus cannot survive in warm-blooded organisms, limiting its effects to cold-blooded insects that lack the ability to regulate their body temperature.
However, The Last of Us imagines a scenario where global warming allows the Cordyceps fungus to adapt and infect humans, causing the same effects observed in insects. For now, this remains purely fictional, so there’s no need to worry about turning into a Clicker anytime soon.
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