Can Cordyceps Infect Humans and Cause Zombie Apocalypse (Last Of Us)?

One of the most common questions I get asked on TikTok is if I’m going to start a “Last Of Us” zombie scenario. In this video game, a Cordyceps like fungus makes the jump to humans, turning them into fearsome flesh eating zombies that also produce infectious spores across several stages of zombie maturity. While this is some fantastic Sci-Fi writing, the feasibility of this (and all zombie scenarios) is 0.
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Cordyceps are incredibly fascinating fungi. Generally, they are Ascomycetes that spend part of their life cycle as haploid molds in the soil, until they infect insect larvae and colonizing the insect hemolymph with mycelium. The fungus produces a powerful suite of 2nd metabolites that inhibit the insects own immune system and biological processes (but leaving their brains mostly unaffected). The mycelium then locomotes the bug through hydraulic motion up the branch of a plant to a specific heigh where a mushroom grows out of the infected insect and disperses its spores onto the ground and bugs below. Quite a fantastic and potentially terrifying life cycle (if you’re a bug).
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As a human, we don’t have to worry about our entire body being colonized by a Cordyceps fungi and turning into a zombie. We are large organisms with a complex immune system that is generally very good at dealing with slow moving fungal infections (except for people who are immune compromised). Given that mammals have fundamentally different biology than insects (blood vs hemolymph), we don’t have to worry about becoming zombies. However, after talking to @fishroom_man I did learn that there are a few Cordyceps species that can infect humans as opportunistic pathogens, but they generally cause mild symptoms as skin rashes rather than a full blown zombification.
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Cordyceps are some of the most fascinating fungi out there, displaying an “extended phenotype” or ability to influence events beyond the scope of their own physical form. It’s a concept I talked about further with author @merlin.sheldrake in our IG Live chat if you want to learn more!
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#lastofus #lastofus2 #cordyceps #zombies #scifi #scicomm #biochemistry #cordycepsfungus #fascinatedbyfungi #mycology #educationalvideos

[@chi_chai]

"Say the temperature rises and now there's a need to adapt"

[@the_kidd3944]

That intro to the show was amazing

[@nafaxena4709]

"We lose"

[@FatTh0r]

The highest tropical environment they are known to exist in is around 70 degrees and that’s in a tropical environment (90-110+) so we would need to see the entire world hit new high temps like 20-30*F +

[@thanos5149]

The one thing the doctor missed out on is that humans also adapt to the temperatures & environment.

[@tablesalt2628]

@@thanos5149 Nah we don't. Humans took hundreds of thousands of years to evolve and it would take hundreds of thousands more for any significant changes to our biology. But that won't even happen because the macro biological forces that forced our evolution in the first place are no longer acting on us in modern society. We are no longer evolving, not in any significant way anyway.

[@bunsenn5064]

In the real world, a cordyceps that infects humans probably wouldn’t progress into aggressive zombies. It would more so be something like a dormant fungus, which does something similar to an ant, causing the human to move to a crowded area, bite down/stay still, die, and release a bunch of spores. It wouldn’t make humans attack each other, but would instead turn each human into a fungal landmine.

[@doomdude69]

I think thats scarier

[@themiddleproject2032]

So basically the games version of the zombies minus the biting, but you could argue that since human architecture isn’t like that of the ant kingdom (there’s no leaves for us to clamp onto) the fungus may try to innovate with some other form of infection ie making humans bite each other, and then succumbing the the infection and spreading it through airborne spores at a later stage in infection. As seen in the games.

[@APigeonfromSpace]

​@@themiddleproject2032 Buildings.

[@danthovict381]

@@doomdude69 nah imagine getting a flu, and you sneezing to spread the virus. The same scenario.

[@indo604]

True but cmon for the game what a cool idea

[@von_Farr]

The chance of humanity destroying itself far exceeds any other scenario.

[@firstletterofthealphabet7308]

That’s what I think as well. Humanity *will* end, and it _will_ happen due to human actions.

[@yesyouareright9800]

@@firstletterofthealphabet7308 yeah no

[@refugeehugsforfree4151]

Meteor is more likely.

[@firstletterofthealphabet7308]

@@yesyouareright9800 no, how?

[@jerricho11]

This is the most comforting response to a potential zombie apocalypse scenario that I've ever read. Thank you.

[@marinacroy1338]

I read once that cordyceps doesn't infect the brain, and the infected insects retain normal brain activity, suggesting that they remain conscious while unable to control their actions. I like to imagine that in the game, all the humans are still intelligent and completely aware of what they've become, makes it 10x spookier.

[@ReallyKeepingFictional]

IIRC, that's actually what happens. Though it might be downplayed, but I do remember once or twice sneaking and actually hearing the "zombies" speaking like one who was munching on a dead friend and crying "please don't make me do this". Spooky stuff, makes TLOU such a good horror game.

[@rituparnrongatex-b2720]

But what if it mutates? They can mutate to fight our immune system ....right?

[@The_Worst_Of_All]

It might eat our bodies or eat other people

[@Kinkoms]

We won't be movie zombies. We will just be alive and a host for cordyceps for it to find a spot to spread.

[@fedra5873]

@@Kinkoms these aren’t zombies

[@fedra5873]

@@Bwolf1 if cordyceps mutates like any fungus then I got yables

[@PashaVerti]

The cordyceps attacks only little insects because they are small and simple. There should be no way for it to mutate this hard.

[@r3gul4rplr17]

"Hopefully the humans inmune system is much stronger than the bugs." The guy with AIDS: Ellie, stay away from those

[@heehee7123]

AHAHAHAHA

[@nachosconqueso6595]

I am the 69th like god

[@batra204]

of course people with compromised immune system are susceptible to all kinds of infections including fungi and bacteria. A lot of covid survivors were infected by black fungus.

[@chriswhite3692]

This is the detail that the show skimmed over. Pathologic fungi can grow systemically. It's only when you are immune compromised do they typically take hold.

[@inputlunasano723]

@@chriswhite3692 So the cure would be to strengthen the immune system? In the last of us

[@miledith555]

I remember reading about this fungus when I was a child and it both fascinated and horrified me because it basically was making dead ants walk and the imagery of mushrooms growing out of an ant was so strange to me.

[@ccsx222]

same!!! i would think about cutting off the fungi growing out of them 😭 like would it just fall off

[@darkcrydotmrihavetoomanyst1440]

It's worse than that From what I heard the ant is still alive it's brain still functioning but it has no control of it's body as the fungus controls it's muscles it can do nothing but think and watch

[@joeysmith7296]

Would Anti fungal things work?

[@cat_the_real]

It turns the ants into fun guis!

[@paladinheadquarters7776]

I don’t think the ants are dead until it releases it spores, but then it’s no longer walking. The ant just get’s it’s nervous system hijacked, and brain flooded with chemicals. Not dead yet though.

[@bilal2378]

People forget that we are master survivors naturally and have immense Sci tech , even if it evolves we evolve too

[@brandonpollard8928]

Faith in humanity, I love it

[@robertlee4809]

People forget that there's more evil out there than we know...we are at the mercy of men such as these....

[@farisa1116]

I won't be surprised if it's us humans who take the world to shit

[@ccsx222]

@@farisa1116 i can’t see a future for us where we weren’t the ones that turned the planet to shit. lol

[@echo3568]

Someone with a genuine faith in humanity? You must be protected

[@ReptilianAnusWizzard]

i take cordyceps as a Supplement.....i am mildly freaked out that its the same Fungus

[@deirdremorris9234]

What do you take it for?

[@VerdwaaldeKunstenaar1]

The cordyceps makes him take it.

[@revansfollower9928]

Some fungis are even worse than the cordyceps

[@namenotfound614]

Cordyceps is actually pretty good for the body, and it's used for traditional chinese medicine, which is very surprising Also cordyceps is insanely expensive

[@HatKidPeck]

@@namenotfound614 cyclosporine for the Immune System, the thing that makes Ellie Immune, keep an eye on OP, they might be the key to saving the world in a couple’o years.

[@HBDiniz10]

I've seen people in the comments say that it could "mutate" but even if it could survive inside the human body, taking control of our ridiculously complex brain system would require millions of years and even then it wouldn't turn us into crazy monsters that bite other people lol

[@russkatherealoriginal6904]

Last of us cordyceps fans when people tell them that "adapting" to a new host will take millions of years.

[@MediumRareOpinions]

The kind of mutations that the fungus has are randomly produced but beneficial chemical triggers that influence the Ants biochemistry. It doesn't "control" anything with purpose and the ants dependence on chemical signalling made it possible that random mutations eventually produced a fungus which trips an ants behavior in a particular way.

[@mrbuttocks6772]

Even rabies can't make a human bite, and that shit has had PLENTY of time to adapt to human brains.

[@Pulang_Diwa]

Rabies tho.

[@anon4854]

Because thanks to OPs monotone he softballed just how much more complex and powerful a human immune system is compared to a bugs. We have _the most_ complex immune system of any species alive or dead.

[@marlowodonnell8323]

Me through the entire video : Holy shat please don't say yes...

[@conor-smith572]

Another factor is that insects have very simple brains, where a single chemical signal might be all they need to seek out water, or a high place, etc. Human brains are monstrously complex and poking it is more likely to just turn you into a vegetable rather than bite people.

[@2ez4Q]

“Fungi will adapt to warmer climates by developing greater heat tolerance,” said Casadevall, who is a microbiologist specializing in fungal diseases at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Some will then be able to grow at human temperatures and cause new fungal diseases that we have not seen before.” -WP

[@FascinatedByFungi]

Yup, that is true, but Cordyceps still aren’t going to turn humans into zombies.

[@ruberxwibebadhi]

@@FascinatedByFungi can you go into details in a video/post why would our immune system be able to defend against cordyceps in this scenario?

[@Corvaric]

@@ruberxwibebadhi because Cordyceps' prey rn are insects. Insects' immune systems compared to an average human immune system is like trying to compare 1 layer of thin cloth's protection to steel armor. Or perhaps the comparison of a simple "If-Then" command to a program running other programs at the same time is a better comparison. Simply put, Cordyceps haven't mutated and evolved enough to get on our level. It'll take it an insanely long time before it gets to the same level as the Ants situation and by that time, we'd probably already have been prepared for it because it's just gonna take that long.

[@ruberxwibebadhi]

@@Corvaric we don't know if the virus was mutated or engineered though.

[@cn2673]

@@FascinatedByFungi ah yes who you are referencing was talking about a change in temperature that they can adapt to of about 0.4 degrees Celsius over a LONG period of time

[@devin_details]

Crazy thing about cordyceps is there is no mind control involved. The fungus releases chemicals that control the movements of the muscles in the ants. The ants are usually completely aware of their own surroundings. They are basically imprisoned in their own bodies until the cordyceps executes them.

[@jacobbillups4715]

Slight tangent but this falls perfectly into a category (for me at least) where there is a disconnect between understanding macro vs micro/molecular biology. Like I completely understand the concept of the cordyceps controlling the ants muscle movements instead of hijacking their brain. Then I also get the mechanism of action to make a muscle contract. The disconnect is in the middle where you aren’t in a still snapshot of time. At that point I have no idea how tf these chemicals can be secreted in real time to move the exact muscles necessary to get where it’s going.

[@itsgonnabeanaurfromme]

​@@jacobbillups4715 that's how it works.specific patterns of behavior allow species to propagate. The movement of the ants is more random than directed in each step but ultimately to humid areas. It's natural selection for the fungi. Like rabies. Rabies is transmitted through the saliva. And being infected with rabies triggers aggressive behavior making you most likely to attack and bite. Rabies also causes fear of water and intense salivation and contraction of the pharynx, which just so happens to increase saliva from the mouth for transmission.

[@Julesorjulz]

It could happen, but I really doubt we'd be running around biting people. It would probably just kill us 😅 slowly and miserably

[@MrJoelMiller]

It’ll make you sick, but not turn you into a zombie

[@ChunKy_Dud]

thats still scary

[@joeysmith7296]

Anti fungal and Immune System Could help make humans not as susceptible to the "fungus"

[@Foogi9000]

If it worked similarly to the Ant variant we'd have humans climbing buildings and infecting a massive amount of people. That's some junji ito level shit right there.

[@firstletterofthealphabet7308]

evolution only favors positive or neutral factors. there are wayyyyyy too many factors that have to line up in just two or three generations of fungi to make it possible for it to become a human mind controller.

[@Real_NCR_RangerNV]

I read about real scientists say it’s not likely but it’s possible

[@anthonyb9226]

Who just watched the last of us premiere and came here lol

[@irishjay9485]

Me

[@TheNightmareOfAll]

How

[@panzermkii7675]

What if it's a bio-engineered weapon?

[@nicolasnareshkumar]

@The Zealous Chief thank you chief

[@SolarBeingAsh]

Are you *trying* to give me nightmares?? (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

[@Davesytb]

Umbrella wants to know you location

[@joeyfalcon1793]

@@nicolasnareshkumar 19 stands for 2019 lol

[@halo_girl_2434]

The problem would be controlling it once it’s unleashed. A virus you develop a vaccine for, bacteria a medicine, fungi however are extremely difficult to kill as soon as it’s in the human body due to the nature of it’s cell structure. It’s a eukaryotic cell, so the medication needed to attack the fungus would more than likely attack human cells as well. It wouldn’t make a good weapon, because you can’t control who can and who can’t get infected

[@Alexei_xyz]

"So if that happens" "We loose"

[@freakkyser]

The biggest thing about this is that insects dont have an adaptive immune system, the fungus doesnt need to try any harder to infect its orey thus the chance of mutating is low, even then it would probably just go to different insects

[@Zayskibop]

I wonder if our affinity towards growing them and eating them might change that. Hell, we’re growing them and making more already, maybe they already have us in their grips!!

[@cometboston2702]

I like it

[@fajaradi1223]

​@@cometboston2702 Taste quite bland

[@cometboston2702]

@@fajaradi1223 no I like the idea that mushrooms have already taken over our brains, the taste of mushrooms is kinda woody and earthy bro

[@LarryWater]

@@fajaradi1223 They taste good.

[@birinderwarraich1179]

Chinese have been eating them for a long time

[@PredatorH2O]

This only answers the question "Can it happen right now?"

[@rebs4jezus]

Exactly this guy was dropped hard as fuck on his head as a kid

[@NikitaNinties]

@@rebs4jezusdamn relax my guy

[@MrJoelMiller]

No it can’t, fungi takes like years to evolve and even if we had cordyceps inside, it’s not gonna make you a full blown zombie, it’s a reason why last of us sci fi

[@pandahq8895]

Well it would take hundreds of thousands more likely even millions of years plus the perfect environment for cordyceps to to evolve to infect mammals or vertebrates ingeneral. However, the moment cordyceps start infecting mammals especially chimps we should start panicking immediately.

[@sauron1414]

@@rebs4jezusyou were dropped hard if you think fungi taking over humans is possible. inbred.

[@Corporal_Coyote]

Roanoke gaming went into this topic and how our immune system fights fungi and how it could override it. Neat video which id 100% recommend.

[@chairgaming1997]

I am genuinely freaked out by this fungi

[@qasmokes]

What if the fungi entered a human with no immunity system? Would they die?

[@sadcat5574]

Well .... Yes

[@prestigev6131]

If a human didn’t have an immune system, other diseases would kill them before cordiceps could

[@qasmokes]

@@prestigev6131 Excluding that, of course

[@ExtremeAcer]

I you were born with no immune system, Cordyceps would be the least of your problems

[@qasmokes]

@@ExtremeAcer Cordyceps infection speedrun

[@a.j.kimball1240]

Yall should know that cordyceps and similar fungi have existed as we know it since at least the Jurassic, if not much earlier. And not once do we have evidence of them going to a host outside of arthropods. They are very specialized for their current hosts and have no means, nor reason to jump hosts to mammals, or any other vertebrate for that matter. Our size, immune systems, anatomy, microbiomes, and metabolism are all wildly different from that of arthropods. The closest we have, and likely we're ever going to get, to cordyceps fungi is parasitic fungi like athlete's foot, ringworm, and parasitic yeasts. These parasites are doing just fine, and have no evolutionary reasoning to take over your body and kill you. Remember, evolution is about "survival of the good enough". If an organism can survive and doesn't need a ton of unnecessary and out of the way adaptations to do something, its gonna just keep doing what its doing.

[@derBleistiftkritzler]

Combine that with the fact that ants are basicly everywhere there is no reason for the fungus to adapt

[@joeisdude]

And even if the temperature were to rise (like a lot), it might not even evolve. The fungi could just die off.

[@bongfulgencio2046]

with all honesty i felt relieved hearing this...

[@V0X6666]

Excuse me, but you forgot Fungus evolves Fungus adapts Fungus is unpredictable

[@MrJoelMiller]

And typically speaking, it can’t get into our nervous system, because it’s connected to several different organs

[@joeysmith7296]

Oh Mister "Studied Biology" suddenly knows so much about biology?

[@thesnakeman8006]

It may not be realistic,sure but the sheer thought alone that it could happen in a universe similar to the show and the games is still kinda terrifying AF

[@jeremyroy95]

Cordyceps are actually an amazing supplement and give you God like cardio. There was a chinese olympic swim team that blew everyone out of the water one year and they credited it to cordys.

[@jamesnowell9793]

On behalf of people with anxiety that like dark tv shows Thank you for making this video

[@annabellechambers679]

Man I feel you I feel the same way

[@ireallycantthinkofaname4726]

Yeah

[@azanfaiz622]

Thank you for the an explanation, it make me feel safe.. 😂😂😂😂

[@MrJoelMiller]

Yeah I don’t even know why some people are jumping the gun on how cordyceps can happen 😑

[@SomeGuyOnline320]

Not only that, but for the 400 species of Cordyceps fungi, all of them are HIGHLY specialised to a specific species. For example Ophiocordyceps sinensis only infects the caterpillar larvae of Ghost Moths, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis are specialised to Formicine ants, Cordyceps Ignota infect Tarantulas, and Some even go after other species of fungus instead of insects

[@VOZmonsoon]

I love the idea of sci-fi not having to be fancy hi-tech future settings with space and lasers, but a slightly altered modern setting

[@dragonflydolemite]

Never underestimate nature

[@deeyaygo9336]

😂

[@DAK4Blizzard]

True, but not in the way you're probably thinking. Few consider all the other animals it could infect before infecting humans.

[@anon4854]

Dont overestimate it either. The human immune system is the most complex immune system of any species living or dead.

[@DAK4Blizzard]

@@anon4854 Agreed. Just because a certain aggressive, parasitic mold species can suddenly tolerate higher temps doesn't mean it can beat an immune system. And then, once it does, be able to control a brain and nervous system far more complex than an ant's. It's an interesting concept, different from how most zombie stories go. But that doesn't mean we should actually be concerned.

[@anon4854]

@@DAK4Blizzard Yeah the temp argument is extremely weak. I think people dont really understand just how big a leap it is from being able to survive at a certain temperature to overcoming a highly complex immune system let alone manipulating biological and neurological structures infinitely more complex than an insects.

[@lee_land_y69]

It’s actually doing some effort to be plausible. I love that now there is a tv series and more ppl get to appreciate this amazing universe. I wish horizon got a tv series adaption as well. Also a a beautiful ai apocalypse story

[@stoff_alien2414]

May not be realistic but still scary as hell to run into one of these

[@AYAHPINBENAR]

If the fungus can mutate to fight our immune system like COVID-19. It will be night mare

[@DJSoloSound]

What if the person has a Compromised Immune system??

[@prestigev6131]

If their immune system was that compromised, more common bacteria and viruses would’ve killed them long before they encountered a cordyceps spore

[@lunaasonininongry6297]

Compromised immune system have medicine where they can get the immunity they need. They take these medications all the time to accommodate their bodies lack of immunity.

[@hi.694]

I think in that case, the forbidden shrooms will have to take a number behind Covid, the common cold, chicken pox, the flu, black mold, a random bacteria that was on the wall, and the hundred million other things that have already evolved to infect humans.

[@hi.694]

In other words, don't worry, there are plenty of things out there that will try to kill us before the evil shrooms can get at our brains. :)

[@bunsenn5064]

The fungus still wouldn’t zombify you. Worst case scenario, the fungus makes you really sick, and you have to get intravenous antifungals.

[@nicktorres5540]

We all know some where, someone is making/working on a version of this to weaponize. Imagine what they could do if they released that upon us

[@tharakanewan3544]

Rabies would be a much better option. It has most of the features (behavior wise) depicted in sci-fi literature.

[@nicktorres5540]

@@tharakanewan3544 like 28 days later. Not zombies but rabies maddened crazy’s. That can transfer with spit, scratch, blood, bite. They’d starve and die after a few weeks or dehydration with millions dead and effected. 100% see that more plausible

[@soldiergaming8375]

No because governments already have far more scarier and deadlier biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, like VX nerve gas, anthrax, so on.

[@osvaldoromeros.7115]

Bro the fungus aint a viable way to make a biological weapon, u got viruses and bacteria, way better options to kill a human, fungus are weak asf, even feaver can kill em

[@nicktorres5540]

@@osvaldoromeros.7115 rabies too

[@royalheadquarters8449]

The thing is our bodies would simply collapse under the damage long before images such as in that game are archieved. While spreading, the fungus would deal much more damage to our insides before even becoming visible on the outside, meaning we would still look like regular humans.

[@riositie]

Clicker: "I'm the mushroom man I'm the fungi fellow"

[@andresl6256]

What if it’s the ppl that don’t take mushrooms get infected? *takes cordyceps and lions mane

[@buddyzf]

if it does, the infection would be over in days and humanity lived on like it never happened.

[@joeysmith7296]

HIV SARS Covid-19 (maybe) The Common Cold The Flu

[@firstletterofthealphabet7308]

@@joeysmith7296 Those are all viruses with airborne transmission. over within a week unless and only if the patient has underlying conditions. Fungal infections work very differently.

[@joeysmith7296]

@@firstletterofthealphabet7308 HIV is spread through blood and can last a lifetime Couldnt our immune system fight off the fungus with the help of anti fungal medication?

[@imag-nonespaghet9337]

​@@joeysmith7296we are talking about a fungus dude.

[@joeysmith7296]

@@imag-nonespaghet9337 you want some meth (not a setup)

[@meziembamara4004]

WW1- Rufles WW2- Tanks WW3- Bread 🍞 ?

[@parkwalker2605]

POV: you passed Biology

[@cultimagination]

still i wounder if perposly pushed,could it breach that barrior between insect and human? i think i heard that some can infect mice and rats but i dont remember if it was true or not

[@cometboston2702]

Funny you say that because one of the first few pictures is actually the fungi growing out of a birds skull

[@derBleistiftkritzler]

​@@cometboston2702 it is a flies exoskeleton

[@gloriayoung392]

Great video ☺️

[@randompersoncuzwhynot]

Why are you happy it could affect us and it really could be the last of us. Edit: Am so dam scared now.

[@lamelemin5508]

@@randompersoncuzwhynot In reality, it wouldn't be the last of us. First off, the human immune system > insects and the fungus took millions of years to only infect insects.

[@tricursor2481]

This wouldn't just happen, it would have to evolve over millions of years. Not only does the fungis need to evolve to handle the heat of our bodies, it also needs to know what to do to our bodies, which is a game of random chance mutations until something works that results in a better liklihood of spreading its genes. Basically, we'd notice real quick at the very first step if we were finding cordyceps colonies at autopsy

[@jakd2962]

I feel really bad for the bugs that get infected with these fungi, must be a horrific way to die.

[@freshoffthecap]

Straight 📠! Thank you for all you do. I’m always looking out for your videos on tiktok 😁

[@spacegoose6358]

If a zombie outbreak ever breaks out I hope it starts in Texas. It’d be over in a day.

[@joeysmith7296]

What do you mean by that Ive noticed a lot of people say that

[@Luke_Skywalker1836]

@@joeysmith7296lot of crime

[@joeysmith7296]

@@Luke_Skywalker1836 that is wrong

[@GreenGlo1991]

It really disturbs me when people are kind of disappointed about this? LIKE THANK GOD?!

[@user-cz2kv3jt5b]

But it’s not a realistic scenario.. Bill gates enters chat.

[@ruskibeluga6338]

Bro the average city in Texas could take out a whole zombie apocalypse in 3 months

[@GasolineLicker]

lmao 💀

[@joeysmith7296]

My brother, me and my friends have 24 guns combined, it would not take texas 3 months. It would take 1 month at the most

[@ruskibeluga6338]

@@joeysmith7296 probably

[@MONKEYLOUAI]

"evolve or die"

[@mrgray5576]

Cordyceps cant pass the blood brain barrier.

[@bigbaba1111]

We have macrophages. That's what saves us.

[@joeysmith7296]

What about neutrophils? They want in on the fun 😢

[@zyern2822]

Sure mr human not cordycepts man

[@TheUnplannedLove]

This guy: “This can’t happen to humans.” Wuhan Scientists: “Is that a challenge?!”

[@robertlee4809]

Definitely a "Y'all hold my beer and watch this shit!" moment.....

[@MrJoelMiller]

Doesn’t work like that, the chance of that ever happening is zero because no amount of genetic modification is going to make the cordyceps that infects an ant turn into a full blown zombie

[@TheUnplannedLove]

@@MrJoelMiller when you realize that people can cross mushroom breeds 🍄 together… if you have a psychedelic mushroom mixed with one of these? I think it’s more possible than you think. I wouldn’t definitively say “not possible” to anyone evil enough to try.

[@vividest7627]

Fungus thinks their tough s*** till they hear about Napalm

[@Vyap2702]

Stranger things theme fits perfect in every video

[@emmetentertainment2863]

For people worrying Cordyceps are actually GOOD for humans, and will not turn us into zombies.

[@imag-nonespaghet9337]

How come? I'm not hating I just want to understand this better.

[@emmetentertainment2863]

@@imag-nonespaghet9337 Cordyceps can be used in alot of medicines, and dishes, its perfectly safe to consume,

[@imag-nonespaghet9337]

@@emmetentertainment2863 oh neat.

[@EndersonOmega25000]

There is a great creepypasta about this kind of thing. Too bad that I forgot what it is called.

[@EndersonOmega25000]

Never mind. Here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6elp6ynrL6Mbdk

[@nightcrawler5409]

Up

[@imperium4821]

The smile tapes...

[@ghostexploring3438]

Bruh it’s fcking hot outside in TX and yet no Zombie Fungus jumps to humans and probably will never though 💀🙂

[@jurassicsmackdown6359]

"cordyceps-like fungi" So... Cordyceps, then

[@geronimo5537]

But also the human body is terrible at fighting off funguses and parasites. So really its not as impossible of scenario as it seems. More after some billion dollar government research Im sure.

[@linkjourney422]

This Guy: Thankfully a human’s immune system is far better equipped than an ants to deal with the cordyceps… Gain of Function Research: Yeah I’m gonna have to stop you right there…

[@alakazamgengar5434]

In the current form we are safe. But mutations over time can change that. Plus with certain pressures, jumping species isn’t impossible.

[@derBleistiftkritzler]

Yes but ot would take on less complex lifeforms first or more likely

[@TheMisterbobman]

A fungus which evolved to control insects brains, attempting to control a human brain would be a lot like trying to hack a quantum super computer using a comador 64

[@psychedelictacos9118]

At least in the Last of Us world they did not have to endure the Corona Virus pandemic!

[@Lemon_Sage9999]

That photo of a dead cordyceps fly is so cool, I've never seen a fly without eyes

[@seangray2481]

" I’m gonna watch one last short before bed " the short

[@fredburleigh574]

Lizard people- “hold my beer”

[@theHUMANAUT1]

I eat cordyceps daily so uhm I'm immune

[@ChrisTuckerCarlzyn]

Even if it did infect humans it wouldn’t be like the game or show, the infected humans would just climb to really high place and lay down and die. The real enemy wouldn’t be the “zombies” but the spores that burst from their head

[@MrJoelMiller]

Yep, and that’s what people don’t realize

[@ryanw7196]

I randomly saw an advertisement for various mushroom based supplements the other day and I saw one of them was cordyceps, my eyes went a bit wide lol.

[@missbelle_elle]

I love your voice & the way you explained that 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@michaelleewagaman301]

That's why there's a big push on eating bugs.

[@cassiusaojuederie5418]

This is the video I needed after binging it yesterday, safe

[@paragonshadow]

Him: it's an incredible work of fiction. Gain of function researchers: hold my beer.

[@jackreese3807]

The reason there is potential scariness, for humans is because the process these things are taking is very similar to every other major disease that is spread to humans in history, like the black plague started out as a virus that moved to insect than the small animals and on up. The fungi in question has already been seen to move from insects to small lizards.

[@neko_of_death6774]

“We won’t be hijack the same way as insects” not yet

[@JoseTorres-ry9qe]

Not YET. the human body is only a few degrees above tolerance

[@slavarossii_666]

The human body is to hot on the inside it would die trying to get in us

[@georggeorgiev2618]

You're the first who explained it right!!!

[@charleighbumba5538]

Actually it is very possible because fungus evolves to the host 🤔 so technically , if it needed humans to do their bidding they would evolve to do so. Fungi is the oldest species known

[@MrJoelMiller]

No it’s not, yes fungi can evolve, but it’s scientifically impossible for it to enter humans because you have the nervous system and cardiovascular system blocking it, furthermore we use the same Cordyceps that infects an ant for medicine, and also even if we did get Cordyceps it’s gonna make us go to a higher place and releases spores (which it does to ants) rather then a cannibalistic zombie

[@ryannichols3101]

Gain of function researchers: yea about that 😅

[@RSAgility]

"it's not a realistic scenario, the spores are weak and humans have complex immune system" *Military Industrial Complex* : "Hold my bioweapons lab kit!" Or "We need this to keep America and its children safe!"

[@TheCompleteMental]

It's probably not feasible since the fungus moves the insect by interacting with their basically-hydraulic locomotion systems and exoskeletons, which are about as different from humans as you can get animal-wise.

[@nunomartins97]

It's not "cordyceps-like fungi" it's literally the cordyceps fungi

[@mattgraham7079]

Your hoodie is so dope

[@drumpdump1995]

As an immunologist, that signaling pathway triggers me. Interesting that it inhibits inflammasome assembly

[@joeysmith7296]

Could cordinsects infect humans like in the show And flour too?

[@ElSpartan667]

People just forget that other people before, used knowledge to make a game ,they simply thought oh wow a cordyceps like humaoid would be super cool.

[@joshcauwels]

Thank god

[@MrBensella]

The real misconception is that there is no treatment… its got DNA, RNA it can be treated…

[@STABBYAB]

Last of Us: We Created A Fungus That Makes Ppl Turn Into Zombies! Nature: Copy & Paste 😂

[@laceybraden2813]

Actually, ever since the show came out, there has been several studies done where this could actually happen to us. But are immune systems how we get sick that would all have to be shot to shit, If we developed as humans with weaker immune systems, weaker White blood cells, etc… and temperatures rising in every part of the universe, this would most likely happen, but we probably will never see it in our lifetime.

[@JustTuningIn]

"So we won't be hijacked the same way..." something an infected fungi human would say!