My husband’s obsessed with video games. He’s an avid gamer who enjoys video games for fun and appreciates everything about them. The graphics, the colors, the storylines – sometimes fall into deep discussions about how the developers created this fantastic world for gamers to fall into.
The new video game my husband was obsessing over for a few years now is The Last Of Us which can be played on PlayStation. I would often sit and watch him play and realize how incredible it is. I’m not a gamer but as an observer, I can honestly say that The Last Of Us video game is brilliantly created and has captivated thousands of fans all over the globe.
So it wasn’t a big surprise when I heard that HBO announced that it was going to turn this game into a series. What did surprise me was the mania that came with it.
For those who aren’t aware of the storyline, The Last Of Us is based on a post-apocalyptic world where humans became infected with a virus that took over all of humanity and now there’s only a handful of people that survived (hence the name The Last Of Us). The story follows Joel, the main character, who is on a mission to help a young girl, Ellie, who is immune to the virus bringing a sense of hope that the world can finally have a cure.
Just your basic fundamental post-apocalyptic storyline right? Except for one piece of information:
The virus that has spread across the world leading humans to extinction was created by fungi.
The first episode of the HBO series opens with a scene of a television show where the host is interviewing two epidemiologists who specialize in viral pandemic issues. During the interview, one of the epidemiologists begins to talk about the microorganisms in fungi and how some fungi do not seek to kill but to control and spread.
This effect happens in different species like ants but there has been no record of this happening to humans. However, what made viewers spooked was this response:
“True fungi cannot survive in hosts whose temperature s over 94 degrees and currently there is no reason for fungi to evolve that can withstand that temperature but what if that were to change? What if, for instance, the world were to get slightly warmer? Well, now there is reason to evolve. One gene mutates and any fungi can be capable to burrow into our brains and take control, not of millions of us but billions.”
After the episode was aired, within a matter of days, millions of people took to social media to share their views but also fears. The Last of Us has people scared about the real-life potential of a fungal outbreak that searches for fungus jumped within the United States by 92% following the show’s premiere.
Why? Because for many, this sounds believable. But can this actually happen?
Do we need to prepare for another deadly virus only this time we won’t return from it? Let’s break this down.
The fungus talked about in The Last Of Us is called cordyceps. Cordyceps is a parasitic fungus that grows on, in, and, later, out of insects. It’s also known as the zombie fungus. While the studies of cordyceps have some similar facts that were discussed in the game and show, the “zombie” effects it can have on humans are very slim.
Charissa de Bekker, an expert in parasitic fungi and assistant professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands spoke to Forbes stating that fungus does not have “tools to go and manipulate our brains,”. Most zombie fungi infect a very limited range of insects, often only one species. However, the main question that’s driving people crazy is will cordyceps turn human beings into crazed horrifying zombies?
The short answer is no.
Fungus has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes and is currently utilized in a number of health supplements. There are countless studies that cordyceps fungus when taken in supplemental form can actually help improve your mental health and wellness by boosting exercise performance, managing type 2 diabetes, and reducing cholesterol levels to prevent heart disease.
There is also fungus residing in a variety of foods like cheese, bread, coffee, tea, and much more. Fungus has played a big and positive role in the wellness industry. So why the sudden fear?
Could it be because we just came out of a pandemic and people have PTSD? Could it be because global warming is real and happening right before our eyes? Or could it be that we are so consumed by powerful writing that people will automatically turn theories into facts instead of facts into theories?
Our deep-rooted mission, at our core, as humans is to survive.
Human begins have survived countless illnesses, war, famine, climate change, genocide, and the list can go on. Some battles are fought publicly, others privately but nevertheless, we are always fighting battles. It is in our nature to hope for the best but prepare for the worst because, at our core, we were built to survive.
Regardless, it’s safe to say that a zombie virus is nowhere in sight. But you should still play the game and watch the series because if this storyline is causing that much hysteria…then you know it’s really good!
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Til next time,
