Two Pathogenic Fungi Crossed the Species Barrier—Can Now Infect Humans
The premise for “The Last of Us,” both the video game and the HBO hit series, centers around the survival of two people navigating a post-apocalyptic wasteland after a mutated fungus infected most of the world’s population, turning victims into mindless zombies.At first glance, it appears like just another interesting take on the zombie genre.But believe it or not, the game is actually based on a real-life genus of fungus called cordyceps, which survives by infecting insects, hijacking their immune systems, and turning them into vessels that the fungus then controls. The fungus parasite then…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.