Could the Cordyceps Fungus Really Take Over?

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Patreon: / realscience
Twitter: / stephaniesamma
Instagram: / stephaniesammann
Credits:
Narrator/Writer: Stephanie Sammann
Editor: Dylan Hennessy (www.behance.net/dylanhennessy1)
Illustrator/Animator: Kirtan Patel (kpatart.com/illustrations)
Animator: Mike Ridolfi (www.moboxgraphics.com/)
Sound: Graham Haerther (haerther.net)
Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster ( / forgottentowel )
Producer: Brian McManus ( / realengineering )
Imagery courtesy of Getty Images
References:
[1] www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...
[2] www.researchgate.net/figure/3...
[3] www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi...
[4] www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/mmg_disp...
[5] www.pnas.org/content/114/47/1...
[6]www.britannica.com/science/hypha
[7] blogs.scientificamerican.com/...
[8] www.cell.com/current-biology/...
[9] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucoch...
[10] jhr.pensoft.net/article/21762/
[11] www.nature.com/articles/natur...
[12] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
[13] link.springer.com/article/10....
[14] journals.plos.org/plosntds/ar...
[15] www.sciencedirect.com/science...
[15] www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...
[16] www.sciencedirect.com/science...
[17] www.sciencedirect.com/science...

[@stryykk8575]

what's so crazy about the prisoner inside its own body is that the developers of tlou actually payed attention to it and in one of the scenes when you're running away from the infected you can hear a zombie cry and say ''i don't want to eat you''

[@Xxx_Lord_Poop_xxX]

where

[@kavx4208]

theres also a scene where you walk in on two infected eating a man and the infected woman is crying and saying stuff like " oh god" and "i dont wanna" inbetween bites

[@runningsandwich]

@@kavx4208 Is that in the game?

[@kavx4208]

@@runningsandwich yes! dont remember which of the two but if you search it on youtube im sure you'll find the moment I was talking about

[@jockin]

isn't it also the same where head-crab infected people in half-life 2 will cry out for help backwars

[@nathanchappell9850]

I love that seemingly all of society is only now going through stages of fears that I went through back in 2013 thanks to the last of us

[@nerysghemor5781]

Haha, yep!!!

[@sarahbasha8066]

lmao exactly

[@NSRS1]

💯

[@dancingbird]

Lmao so true. I already had that panic

[@Flixartist]

You weren’t the only one!😮😂

[@stonysheep4364]

The reason why the zombies from Last of Us sound like they're crying or screaming in horror is because the people that are infected are aware of what they are doing, but have no control in stopping themselves from what they are doing. That's what makes this all the more terrifying. Imagine you rip apart your family and can't stop yourself.

[@kimbooley90]

@@sraftyc7773 Explain.

[@boss_niko]

its kind of like rabbies.

[@Samstar369]

@@sraftyc7773 You no-pfp people are wild.

[@ryanw2607]

@@sraftyc7773 ain’t no way ☠️

[@719hannah]

@@sraftyc7773 you are experiencing delusions and/or paranoia, seek professional help.

[@Passarium-1195]

As an Ant Keeper, fungus infecting ants under my care, especially queens is a worst fear of mine. One time a Queen Ant I had was injured and exiled from her colony because of aggression from another Queen. A few days later, this fungus was growing out of her gaster. The Queen died and I just threw out her body in a testube. I haven’t had any fungus scares since. It still remains in the back of my mind all the time to make sure it never happens again.

[@Crypto2638]

So you actually faced this kind of fungus? Have you noticed a change in their behavior? And are the other one effected?

[@Passarium-1195]

@@Crypto2638 The other Ants were not affected. Only that Queen that was kicked out of her colony because she was fighting with the other Queen was being affected. When she got kicked out she was severely injured. She was missing legs and had gashes all over her. I put her in a testube by herself and she was there for a days. On day three I noticed fungus was coming out of her gashes. She was still alive and walking around though. I’m pretty sure got infected with the fungus because she had many open wounds and she couldn’t keep herself clean. After she got infected with it. I killed her and threw her body out.

[@lindgrenland]

Little did you know... you would soon become patient zero for the real fungal pandemic, laying complete waste to humanity. As the only infected individual who maintained full autonomy of the brain, you will have to fight your way through a post-apocalyptic wasteland to reach the last bastion of human civilization and authority - an island fortress off the coast of Normandy - only to find out your brain must be removed to develop an effective cure@@Passarium-1195​

[@BobPelot-ko1dr]

My knowledge on the entire subject is limited at best hence the questions…if you couldn’t stop it the first time how do you stop it the second? At what point in the process did you become aware of what was happening and how does that help you now? I’m sure there are other questions I should be asking but let’s just start there…this stuff is crazy and worrisome and I’m sure far worse than what the video game or HBO show suggests…thanx for whatever you can and do impart

[@T-Dawg75]

This is absurdly interesting. Is there anything notable the rest of the colony did afterwards? What ate you doing to prevent it?

[@Scipiworld]

One of the craziest/scariest things about multicellular fungi: the nucleus of their cells can migrate. The mycellium structure connects the cells together and the nuclei will travel to where they are most needed. If a fungus encounters something strange like a substance that can't be broken down, nuclei will concentrate in that area to try and find one with a mutation that allows them to eat the thing. If they succeed, that nucleus proliferates. They basically stear their own evolution by committee and are profoundly adaptable as a result.

[@nightshade4873]

so it's like a system that has different itterations, and when it encounters a problem in one of it's itterations, it then consults on the others as to what it can do to prevent or remove the problem? i may just be repeating what has been said, i'm just trying to clarify it for my own understanding.

[@Scipiworld]

@@nightshade4873 more or less. That's the personification of it (it's not like the cells are super intelligent and plan it out). What they do is the DNA containing nuclei cluster around the problem and provide their genetic material to best solve the problem. If one happens to have a slight edge, that one gets duplicated more and more. This process likely plays a big role in how fungi can seem to develop odd adaptations when faced with difficult situations such as eating plastic (as documented in lab grown and some wild fungi) and producing energy from ionizing radiation (as fungi near Chernobyl's elephant foot has done).

[@morkovija]

holy guacomoley =0

[@swaminathansubramanian5878]

Seems mycobes could really challenge molluscs in terms of creativity and problem solving.

[@mysticforce0958]

@@Scipiworld so in theory they could take other humnas

[@phoenixyou6294]

If the fungus doesn’t affect the brain that just makes it so much worse. Imagine being fully aware that you’re about to die and your body is moving on it’s own while you watch helplessly.

[@amberlennox5618]

The comforting part is that the fungus probably isolates your brain from your senses, so there's a chance you won't be aware of anything that's happening outside your body. You might just be a confused, scared mind floating in darkness and silence, waiting for death. Sorry, did I say comforting? I meant alternatively horrifying.

[@NoName-zn1sb]

its

[@brianbarrett192]

@@amberlennox5618 How did you come to this conclusion? Sensory neurons and motor neurons are different networks. There is abundant evidence of motor neuron control by the fungus. But where is the evidence for the additional sensory neuron control?

[@amberlennox5618]

@@brianbarrett192 they don't control the sensory neurons, afaik they just infiltrate enough of the ant's body that isn't not clear whether sensory signals make it to the brain intact.

[@ShadowlordDio]

Now imagine that was injected to people saying it was COVID VACCINES... And they know the behaviour the modern humanity NPC zombies will have and they will control masses with several well studied stimuli.

[@madsgt1697]

After I watched the first episode of The Last of Us, I had nightmares about the fungus actually being able to evolve it was terryifying

[@aktchungrabanio6467]

lool

[@bizzyva5342]

lol i have been having that fear all the way since the first game came out

[@digitoxsynth1905]

Lol, people who played the game already understood that fear

[@pointfull]

worry not long story short were too complicated, our brains our immune systems its like a microscopic speck trying to fight mike tyson i dont know about people from the future tho

[@TvGunslingeRvT]

Never going to happen

[@ginalawrence8573]

The fact that you can see the fungus tendrils coming out of infected ants’ mouths in some of these clips…the writers really did their research for the show!

[@N4RDE.mp4]

And game

[@Battle_mista]

Game came out in 2013, the show is based on the game

[@st4rryni1ghts]

game**

[@TherapyGel]

​@@Battle_mista The tendrils sticking out of the mouth isn't in the game.

[@kelpdock8913]

​@@TherapyGelit is, some runners have it

[@stijnvth]

The mind being untouched makes it even more horrific ... Imagine ... being controlled by a fungus but still having all your thinking capactity and being full aware of what is going on.

[@seamali4383]

That's so scary 😟

[@rainbowinthedark453]

That is a perfect synopsis for a super creepy movie or book plot.

[@darkbringr88]

@@rainbowinthedark453the last of us

[@rainbowinthedark453]

@@darkbringr88 that’s a movie already out oh wow, I didn’t know. I thought my daughter has a PlayStation game like that.

[@badbadthingss]

@@rainbowinthedark453 it was a game. turned into a show.

[@rajghosh217]

I just realized, in the last of us, when you reach the part where Sam started wondering if the infected still had people inside them without any control of their bodies, I thought he was being delusional out of the fear of turning but he was actually making a lot of sense.

[@nerysghemor5781]

Even in the game you have incidents of victims crying and even trying to cry out in clear revulsion at what they are doing.

[@thedyslexicorangutan8049]

No clearly the people are still alive, they’re brains are being hijacked by Cordyceps which has full motor control of the victim’s body. The people are still inside and enduring the pain

[@suprlite]

When Ellie encountered the stuck mushroomzombie in the basement, you could see both sentience and despair in its eyes. So probably some of the persons former self was in there. But the fungus was stronger.

[@kornandfoofighters]

Imagine missing the initial hype train, and then thinking the tv show is the hit, irony son

[@jdkoz98]

@@kornandfoofighters but the show is a hit for all the normies… you think my mom is playing last of us ?

[@chillinyessir5787]

Just to let you guys know, even if cordyceps somehow manage to infect us and take over, the amount of energy required to completely overpower the brains electrical signals to the muscles and the exact amount of energy required to make it move would be impossible for it to do anything, other than weakening you. Combine with the fact you have a natural disease fucking system (immune system) and your body telling those controlled muscle cells to self delete, you should be fine. The most common symptoms of this would most likely be muscle weakness, muscle deterioration, muscle spasms and high fever. The human body is simply too built for something like this to work.

[@zezoo2107]

People die from the flu and we have a vaccine for that, we wouldn’t know what would happen with this until well it ever jumps Rabies is the only one that possibly could evolve into some kind of “zombie virus”

[@Cyproduction]

I just wonder what is being done by scientists in secret, weaponizing viruses has been on the agenda for a long time now... would they be capable altering and weaponizing fungus as well?

[@abdillahfamilychannel8418]

thank you

[@mattpopemusic]

Inn the video she says the cordyceps doesn't target the brain, but the muscles only. Or is that what you're saying- that the muscles would still need to override the brain signals?

[@aaraviii]

​@@mattpopemusicIn a dumbed down way, he's saying that the Cordyceps can't just come and give order to your muscles while the almighty brain and the badass immune system is there. 😅

[@sammyhagger12]

I definitely want a Hello Fresh membership that involves being sent mushrooms/fungi after watching this episode!

[@mihirwadyekar2000]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@egooidios5061]

sort of feels like revenge for a crime that has not been commited yet

[@Eleventhearlofmars]

Can you get psilocybe cubensis with a hello fresh membership? 😂

[@katrinahutcherson474]

@@Eleventhearlofmarsone can dare to dream 😎

[@tourzrap]

What a strange comment

[@andreste1989]

I usually scoff at the saying "fate worse than death" but a situation of losing control of body with your mind still intact and fully aware truly does seem like that.

[@brianbarrett192]

Yes. Especially as you die of rapid dehydration ended by complete body-shattering tissue trauma.🤔😱

[@hectorzero8545]

yup those ants basically dehydrate and starve to death clamped on the leaf, never being able to let go

[@TheRandomMuffinMan]

There’s plenty of fates worse than death. This is definitely high on the list though.

[@floppysquid2036]

I'd hate to be an ant thrown into the Sunken Place tbh

[@Patatmetmayo]

I took a big dose of LSD once together with MDMA, at some point I lost control of everything and could no longer control my body, but I was still fully aware and scared out of my mind. By far the most terrifying experience in my life, sometimes I can't help but feel that psychedelics have huge similarities with these fungi taking over. I know some people view psychedelics as sacred medicine and healers, but maybe that's their trick to lure us in and take over? :p

[@LaineyBug2020]

The fact that the ant is probably aware of what's going down is so much more horrifying than having it's brain taken over...There's a good twist on a zombie movie plot waiting for the horror genre right there...

[@calamitoso0066]

Well there is a deadpool zombie comic book that explore this theme.

[@revenevan11]

This is possibly hinted at in Half-Life 2 (and onwards). The zombies (people taken over by headcrabs) make some very distinct noises, and from what I've heard these noises are actually reversed and distorted speech, saying things like "help me!" and, iirc, "kill me!" "Get it off!" Might be another one. It's been years since I've listened to it reversed (un-reversed technically I guess lol), but the implication is the same. The conscious parts of the host's brain are damaged, but not destroyed... and the body is being puppeteered while the person inside is helpless.

[@RaveN_EDM]

The movie Warm bodies.

[@ziggyinta]

Was about to say warm bodies as well, fun movie

[@mortache]

As a kid I read a sci fi story where alien parasite gets in your head and takes over the body while the person remains inside. Half the book was a conversation between the protagonist and the alien controlling his body. Edit: I found it, its Animorphs book 6

[@islagurney3272]

The fact I've been terrified of this way before TLOU was even a concept, it just brought all of my fears to life.

[@twinbruisesonmyshins]

same lol. i was obsessed w nat geo as a kid, they covered the fungus in like 2010 or something. i found it on youtube when i was like 8-ish and its scared me shitless ever since

[@0promo]

Whenever I see/hear people talking about the beauty of life or creation I remember stuff like this. It ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.

[@kempleton_is_cool1359]

The true horror factor is that, this is the most realistic zombie outbreak we could get

[@zx3215]

it is already here. But the zombies are accepted and praised. This is called "diversity"

[@TheMacC117]

I Am Legend 2007 would be up there.

[@briandinosaur8335]

also maybe an evolved/mutated rabies?

[@GregoryMcStevens]

Nah a rabies like one would be far more realistic such as 28 days later

[@Afganistan289]

its evolving mainly on ants for millions of years its not going to infect humans

[@matthewmitchell3457]

9:11 The image of that worm invading the snail's eye stalks, swelling them to many times their normal size, and then pulsating like that, is insanely disturbing.

[@itsmelive]

Was wayyy worse than the ants even

[@Erickhetfield]

I literally closed my eyes. I don't remember ever reacting like this. Snails are disgusting enough. That pulsating thing was too much for me.

[@canobenitez]

@@Erickhetfield at least they didn't show the bird eating the snail's eyes

[@09simid]

I needed to close my eyes too. That swelling and pulsation, is just insanely and deeply horrifiyng.

[@rocky_wang]

We Chinese: yummy

[@cca78758]

I love this video and how well she covers these topics. Hopefully she might do a few more on human/primate/mammal integration/interaction with our microbiome as well as how critical fungal and bacteria balance is for both that and even soil health.

[@cheeseysponge944]

Amogus sus

[@deanmcnaye5135]

I am also a scriptwriter and I liked the transition from Fungus to Hello Fresh (starts @16:30..)- it has smoothly segued, transformed the story and took over the screen. 😉

[@robinson4470]

This has scared me more this Halloween than all terror films I've watched

[@siangmingalexlau8220]

Will the fungus mutate and cross the species barrier?

[@utubeisCensorred]

I remember reading about this and hearing about it on NPR almost 10 years ago. It's been known for awhile.

[@CrazyFunnyCats]

Look up how long tapeworms can get inside your intestines 😳😱

[@JonesP77]

@@frenne_dilley You dont watch many horror movies, do you? There are many good and scary horror movies. It becomes too normal that people know nothing about a topic but yet think they know everything about it... Like "The Witch"! Thats a good one!

[@luannseidlitz4429]

same

[@theelephantintheroom69]

Idk what's creepier; the fungus controlling the mind or the reality that it never touches the mind and instead builds a sort of brain that controls the body while the host's brain stays intact.

[@raven4k998]

this is why you should use protection so you do not succumb to those zombie making funguses cause if they can adapt to human biology they can make people into zombies🤮

[@israelgonzalez8200]

Well in one you’re not necessarily aware or at least you want/are compelled to kill yourself, while on the other instance, you’re aware your body is being poisoned and controlled by a fungus and slowly suffocating every cell in your body

[@Fear_None22]

fuck this shit im out

[@lemonstealinghorsdoeuvre]

It's not uncommon in the least bit. This of all the things you don't swear on your brain that still affect you. The smell of bacon cooking, shower water suddenly running cold, mosquitoes bites, your lover whispering in your ear, a stubbed toe, angry youtube comments, and most of all, your belly. Hungry? You need to eat. Full? You need to rest. Eating leftover Chinese too late? *Run.* In your digestive track, beyond the simple instincts, lies billions of microbes. They all have an impact on your mind. There is a thing called a stool transplant, and it's exactly what you are thinking. But the reason is to supplement the natural flora in your digestive biome. I 100% recommend you look it up

[@nitemareofmitch]

neuralink says hello

[@iAmEbolaWoT]

This was extremely well done. I'm seriously interested in the future findings as scientist research more on Toxoplasma gondii. I wonder if they could eliminate the infection in a group of people and then see if after some healing time if they would be considered as showing signs of schizophrenia.

[@nikoikofe126]

Smooth transition for the ad, love it

[@SheepThatBleep]

Advertising food that infects people with the zombie virus. Is exactly what an infected person would tell him.

[@ComradeLuka]

People eat other types of cordyceps

[@dyfrigshandy]

The Last of Us

[@nextphaser]

Simpsons predictions of zombies for 2023

[@safuwanfauzi5014]

the last of us series hbo

[@davidduffield1713]

@@safuwanfauzi5014 that’s exactly what we deserve too. I feel horrible for my kids but I for one welcome the fungi apocalypse.

[@stephenkalatucka6213]

This week's episode of "Damn, nature! You scary!"

[@seamali4383]

Fr fr, no cap 😥

[@Sosa081]

Lol 💀

[@drewhaueter4502]

FG reference

[@bobsponge1877]

please learn a new meme.

[@Sosa081]

@@bobsponge1877 you must have a lot of friends

[@katherinechrist-janer5636]

The segue to Hello Fresh/mushrooms had me laughing out loud. I loved it!

[@decodewithaditisharma]

This is so interesting. I love your videos, it reminds me of how much I loved biology. ngl I needed a trigger warning for the closeup of the cockroach :3

[@treebush]

I guess one day the fungus could be among us

[@vincentlee7359]

Too late

[@fluoressmsm1507]

Sussy

[@bingcringing]

SUSSY

[@SucculentDoorbell]

That day is here already

[@beeorganic]

... leading to being insane in the membrane.

[@nathantiffen5158]

My biology teacher told me when I was in school: “The biggest threat won’t be an asteroid or war, it will be a virus or fungus that can’t be killed via the means we know of. And if that happens, good luck.”

[@Blessed_V0id]

Good luck, and good night XD

[@bryanbryan7749]

I think you should seek proof of it instead of taking their word on an arbitrary hunch exaggerated for shock value. War and celestial physics are pretty much the only things our modern science has absolutely no solutions for, but when it comes to biology, oh boy your teacher is severely underestimating the human medical prowess. DNA targeting nanobots/biologics, radiation therapy, gene editing, tissue printing, robotics, and not to mention the various public safety protocols that can pretty much guarantee survival if people will just stop being dumb. Oh and "burn the body" has been a tried and true option since every known plague. Saying our greatest threat is something we can't defend against is like saying you can't lick your own elbow, it's stating the obvious, and there is no point to even identifying the threat. It can be an indestructible virus, it can be an asteroid with a 10km + radius, a big solar flare, a black hole speeding towards our galaxy, etc etc. They'll all kill us because the hypothetical included an absolute condition.

[@NottherealLucifer]

Except no fungus can survive a flamethrower and no species of fungus could survive ten million flamethrowers. A virus is dangerous because it can't be fought with military weapons, a fungus can.

[@NottherealLucifer]

I also own a gas mask, as a civilian, that has filters that would render these spores useless. We have the technology to defeat any fungus.

[@ilikeships9333]

If something really bad happens we can always go into full isolation and wear proper proper filtered sealed mask.

[@disconnectionrehab5171]

best topic to Ads transition I have seen this year

[@Disobeyedtoast]

zombie parasites have always been one of the spookiest subjects for me, so perfect timing!

[@dos1195]

"Have always been" "perfect timing" hmmmm

[@Cenmeow]

you could say they're a... sussy subject

[@adamwu4565]

"The ants mind might be trapped as a prisoner in its own body with the fungus in control". Yikes. And just when I thought Cordyceps infection couldn't be made MORE disturbing and terrifying than we already though it was!

[@NicholasGuccione]

I'm still wrapping my brain around the fact that ants even HAVE minds!?

[@killgoretrout9000]

@@NicholasGuccione they don't really, although a fair argument could be made that an ant hive does. the leafcutter ant which uses more plant matter than any non-human animal in the amazon rainforest doesn't eat the leaves it cuts but uses them as fertilizer to grow a fungus which they eat, how's that for irony, ie leafcutter ants farm.

[@killgoretrout9000]

it's not something that happens to amphibians, reptiles, birds or even other mammals so I don't see where cordyceps fungus could do that to humans and even it's effect on an ant is not make the ant go around and bite other ants but to climb high so the cordyceps spores can be released and spread.

[@g.3521]

@@NicholasGuccione Well a simplistic mind, but still a neural network nonetheless. What else did you think they have?

[@chandanv8769]

My god that means in last of us all zombies have their human mind still intact.

[@heathersigmon3380]

There should be tests for all juvenile and adult inmates for toxoplasmosis. And all patients in mental health institutions. It should be part of intake. Just like blood tests at a doctor's visit. Thank You ❤️

[@emma_nutella58]

I’ve been terrified of this fungus since 2013 and I’m still terrified 10 years later

[@mellowmutated]

its scary stuff

[@rogerluo7753]

This channel is somehow cursed by the algorithm, it is getting way less views than it deserves. The engineering counterpart really displays this. I love this channel, yet because of the crap luck it has with algorithms(for seemingly no reason) I only return like once half a year, only you realize that I've got hours of great content that should have been recommended to me. Keep up the work, you got my support!

[@realscience]

thanks! we may need to up our blood sacrifice to the algorithm or something

[@UntangleTheOffice]

@@realscience You may need to get a bit creative in winning over the algorithm… I believe it to be an artificial parasitic intelligence 🍄 that has developed to use KZbin to take over human brains and force us to watch what it chooses. You may be seen as a threat 🦢 by the algorithm since you understand the science. 🤓

[@liveforever9888]

@@realscience Hello, I remeber reading about a man called Phineas Gage who got an open head wound from an accident. As the doctor was treating him this fungus thing started sprawling out of his brain. Its worth checking out his story.Very creepy stuff.

[@Tondadrd]

What? Just subscribe and check the channels you have subscribed to...

[@snowballeffect7812]

@@Tondadrd The problem is notifications are how a lot of people check. This channel seems to not send out notifications despite users being signed up for notifications. edit: the solution to this is usually to unsubscribe and re-subscribe.

[@carpemkarzi]

Well that’s the best and creepiest science I’ve ever actually wanted to learn more about.

[@scrubjay93]

Too bad it is totally unscientific when talking about an ant's mind. They are not "aware" of what is happening to them. They are not conscious.

[@jpthepug3126]

@@scrubjay93 and?

[@theresefournier3269]

It sounds a lot like Morgellons, doesn't it?!

[@maxmustermann8423]

I really like the transition from: " hey there is the cordiceps just like in the game and series mindcontrolling ants and other small animals. And look how terriffying and horrific theese dead zombie-fungus-ants look. Oh and did I forget we are all kind of mindcontrolled by Toxoplasm" to "well do you like cooking and eating fungus. Well than here is Hellofresh" You mindcontrolled me from beeing shooked and paranoid to feeling really hungry... maybe you are a fungi-zombie ?!?!? ;) thanks for the video

[@frlo7688]

This video has so much informations omg

[@75Krusty]

Creepy but interesting. The designer drug btw called “Bath salt” and also Flakka, gives the user kind of zombie like behavior. Ordinary people strip clothes naked, and also shows cannibalistic behavior sometimes.

[@daweed_spieschl]

Yeah, I watched some videos. Creepy AF

[@noelhalwick1568]

Lmfao! You guys watch way too much TV. I live in NYC and bathsalts, k2, etc are very popular here, as are all drugs lol, let me tell you a FACT everyone I've seen who has those horrible reactions to that crap WERE ALREADY MENTALLY FUCT UP BEFORE !!! idc what you see on the news, it's all bs, just like every drug if a person already has a mental illness the drugs make it worse. All that "he was a perfectly normal boy until he took bathsalts " IS TOTAL BS!

[@KMCA779]

Every once in a blue moon we get people obviously on something that come running to us terrified of people chasing them asking us to call the cops, they usually last no more than 5 minutes before running off in terror. I always wondered what they were on until I heard about Flakka, when they went over that part of it I had a moment where I took far too much joy in FINALLY knowing what it likely was.

[@alexmacdonald1998]

Yeah, bout them bath salts... ain't no one I know heard of them b4 or since. At risk of going into tin foil hat territory here, so y'kno. But hey, remember pcp or 2ci? How bout khat,synthetic thc or Sally d? You see, kids round here were doing these drugs. We heard about them, then they were available, then, for what ever reason, they declined in popularity and really aren't available no more. All I know about bath salts is some dude pulled some bitey shit, it was in the news and then nothing. Drug fads don't work like that. If you hear about it in the news, you can usually find it or someone familiar with it in the streets. I've never met anyone, except a couple dummies who thought they actually meant the relaxation health product, who knew shit or heard anything about this before that story hit the news. Never heard from it since. Anyone out there able to tell me different, please do since I'll sleep a lot better being wrong in this opinion than continue to live with the nagging suspicion that my nut job cousin who claimed that shit happened near a lab testing zombie virus can actually be right in one of his drunk ass rants...

[@Kyana.Cheung]

"They need some milk!"

[@kaliinduk2304]

I'm sorry, I know it's all terrifying but I can't overlook "Among Us" in the title

[@Orphancripplr]

I came across something like this in the mountains of SC. It was a cricket secured to the leaf of a tea olive bush. It didn't appear to have bitten on to the plant, rather being anchored buy the fungus itself. Anybody know of anything native to the Appalachian area that matches that?

[@salmansengul]

11:15 That's the condition Martin Shkreli aka "Pharma Bro" had a medication for! Remember him? He was the guy who was on the news because he had allegedly raised the price of Daraprim - the medication against toxoplasmosis. The more you know... ❤️

[@_V.Va_]

Most interesting thing about this to me is that it very likely inspired the Pokémon Paras and Parasect. For people not totally aware, the cute bug itself isn't the Pokémon, it's the mushrooms on its back which it Zombified. Parasect has pure white eyes, likely meaning the fungus took over completely, if the entire mushroom engulfing its back didn't give it away.

[@elmar4574]

Damn you are right

[@RonLarhz]

Damn it. Sounds legit. Probably why i hate it. I mean even muk feels more right than paras/parasect. Also the name para in parasite.

[@uhohhotdog]

I’ve played Pokémon and never realized that

[@enocloke24]

I think the Pokémon inspired nature

[@IsraelFundedEpstein]

Tochukaso!!!!

[@thunderatigervideo]

The insect world in general has plot lines and enemies more terrifying than any horror movie.

[@andrew5222]

seriously, fuck bugs. i'm glad they're dying out

[@MrGarymola]

@@andrew5222 ....many bugs are crucial to our eco-sysyem so without bees for example to spread plant pollen we all die....many animals & critters eat bugs & if they're gone we're screwed.

[@MrRADicalOfficial]

@@MrGarymola Still fuck bugs, most of them. Some are cool, like bees as you mentioned. In school, there was a small tree with flowers and someone showed me you could pet the bees, so sometimes I would pet them. They cool

[@leonardonobre7909]

Thanks for the video!

[@fmk99mc74]

I love this, it's a perfect example of the meaning of life once life is given and that is to survive and adapt. Scary though how ants are also targeted due to population size (and how similar organisms can be infected due to similar biology). Here's hoping it doesn't try to jump the species and bio gap!

[@yurionabike2184]

Fungi are interesting. If you eat the special ones, it almost feels like someone else enters your mind, welcomed or not.

[@noahjones8616]

Forbidden fruit

[@682logan]

Psilocybin is the future for us with major depression, it helps in an incredibly positive way. Wish I could find more so I can keep feeling like a normal human lol

[@redwood9120]

That my man is a profound statement you left there..with a seriously simple execution. It’s going in my stolen sayings to spread with good intentions folder, to use at a later date for sure ! You’re right though. It is like some one enters your mind makes you hand over your car keys and forces you to ride along the path they choose weather you wanna go or not. while steering your vessel all Willy Nilly like…having zero respect for paved roads at all they make you watch in awe and see life outside that stupid self absorbed box that we cling to harder than the dead stopped express way in 5oclock traffic. It’s soo worth giving your keys over for the experience. .

[@thewardenofoz3324]

@@redwood9120 doesn't get much more illogical than this.

[@onlyonejupiter]

@@682logan yep Mushrooms will save us all

[@The_Orbus]

My main takeaway from this is that its not my fault I am a crazy cat person.

[@spencerbarton5353]

my takeaway was to get tested for toxoplasmosis, I already have ADHD, I don't need something else messing with my energy and reaction time

[@horrorclose9462]

Think of all the people that are locked away in psych wards exhibiting signs of schizophrenia (a common symptom of toxoplasmosa gondii infection) that could be cured with a simple injection...

[@SickOfDemocracy]

@@horrorclose9462 is it really that easily cured? I'm a cat person myself as well, i'm getting suspicious of what my feline daughter may brought home.

[@noahjones8616]

God it's so cringey seeing full grown adults calling cats and dogs their "fur babies"

[@_SHIN1999]

@@noahjones8616 who hurt you

[@JumboSlice716]

I am a second year optometry student and have already seen “toxo scars” in one of my patients. Acute toxoplasmosis infections can have symptoms of new floaters or blurred vision. It is common for old infections to develop into scars on the retina but are not typically visually significant.

[@daynleo1989]

I worked on a fiction podcast about a small English town where the residents had become symbiotic with the local fungi. Don't Mind: Cruxmont. I had no idea it was an actual possibility, even if only with ants. Very creepy.

[@solarcoat9514]

I can't believe this video took over me like a zombie would and almost persuaded me to order hello fresh food.

[@galvanizedgnome]

I think this explains Democrats.

[@nickv7824]

It's so much easier...eat the food, then buy more...

[@pragatsharma1580]

i was about to comment this thanks

[@melindahart5290]

"Hello fresh" ??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 yyyyyyeah, more like : " hello hormone disruptors".... Yeah NO THANKS. 😡😡😡😡😡

[@sloshed-rat]

Truly terrifying that a fungi like that actually managed to exist in the very same world we live in.

[@danielmconnolly7]

Democrats.

[@gabict8866]

what about the Goo? #BlackGoo #GreyGoo and on and on...

[@DigitalJedi]

We should do something about that.

[@panzalinopanzultimate4796]

@@gabict8866 that’s a theory of what could happen with nanotechnology gone wrong cordyceps are a very real thing

[@remiscott7759]

There's not enough resources in the rain forest.

[@kiyoshikusama4178]

What about the...issue of increased climatic temperatures bringing potential for increased fungal infections? (aka C. auris hospital infections suddenly being a thing, etc.?) The biggest challenge fungi face infecting mammals is mammalian temperature. So what happens when the climate selects for heat resistant fungi? 🤯

[@ZanarAesthetics]

8:55 music name?

[@desmond-hawkins]

This was fascinating! At first I thought it was going to be about the lancet liver fluke, which also infects ants and has a crazy life cycle: it starts with an infected worm egg in the dung of a sheep or other cattle, then the dung is eaten by a snail where the larvae develop. They attach to the snail's slime secretions, which are eaten by ants and at this point the ant becomes the host. It changes its behavior and starts climbing to the tip of tall grass in the evening, and like with this fungus will lock its jaws to it to stay in place. In the morning, a sheep will eat the grass and swallow the infected ant, continuing the cycle. One major difference is that this fungus constructs a whole network of cells to control ants like a puppet, whereas the lancet liver fluke apparently affects the ant's brain directly (you can find scans of ant heads showing the brain and this tiny worm right next to it). Evolution is truly amazing.

[@neugen1019]

Anyone notice at 8:36 in the video that the spore pouch looks like a brain 🧠 🤔🤔

[@desmond-hawkins]

@@neugen1019 It's called a perithecium, it can look spherical or more like a jug or a flask in some cases. If you look up perithecium on Google Images you'll see what it looks like inside, it has an opening through which the spores are released. Even though it may look like a brain, this is only because both have a vaguely spherical shape, but that's where the similarities end. Fungi don't have brains.

[@anuragsharma8779]

@@neugen1019 Nah

[@doomguy9049]

@@desmond-hawkins what I was wondering in light of the revelation that the cordyceps doesn't seem to infect/control the brain but grows this kinda parallel nervous system and uses that to control the ant's movement is this: How does the fungus receive and interpret information about the world outside it's host or use it to coordinate the ant's movement to guide it to such specific locations for optimal spread without controlling the ant's brain or having a brain or sensory organs of its own?

[@kiki29073]

They are all Hive Minded.

[@EarthrealmWarrior]

The fact that the fungus knows in what direction, temperature and humidity it needs and makes the ant clamp down on the right spot is mind blowing. It's more intelligent that we thought Well better get started on a doomsday plan

[@keisufederationmapping2748]

A faint “WAAGGHHHH!” is heard in the city of New York, it’s already too late

[@DreamApostle128]

Yes but to me that's not mind blowing It's like us liking to be in a warmer area in the cold or being in colder area in the heat You understand what you need Same goes for the fungus it doesn't understand why it grows more and easier there it just knows that it does And just finds the perfect spot to grow And this is all thanks to evolution Some of them go to warmer places some of them go to higher places but the only ones that survive are the ones going to the "perfect" spot so their genes get passed down to the next generation but the other ones don't

[@OEFTF11]

The fungus isn't aware of itself and it isn't intelligent. Is a bug that evolved to look like a stick to avoid predators intelligent? No, it's just a result of the mechanism of evolution, much like the fungus.

[@remiscott7759]

People on PCP get naked, and run to sprinklers, because they feel they are too hot.

[@CL-hf2fb]

That effing part

[@shashidharshettar3846]

Thank you for educating me and us

[@SharkyOfficial09]

I can see how the fungus could evolve and adapt effectively, by basically starting at the brain, using the electric signals to control the body at first, but then spreading through the body and creating its own "mind" and stimulating the fungi with electric signals like how the brain stimulated muscles with electric signals, pushing it or pulling it, and basically taking over the body until it forms an entire humanoid fungus, basically a zombie.

[@CarnSarnit]

Seeing cordyceps in health food stores clearly means that the fungus has has already enlisted humans in its nefarious schemes as well 😛

[@gowankommando]

That would explain a lot 😂

[@danielhandika8767]

That's why you absolutely have to cook them

[@eclogite]

Idk why you'd even suggest that, it's just paranoid. You should really try some cordyceps fungus to calm down, it'll be great

[@CarnSarnit]

@@eclogite You're probably right, but I do think it's weird that the instructions on this bottle of cordyceps supplements says, "Do not swallow. Take contents of 1-2 capsules and inhale directly into lungs, or inject into bloodstream. Then go outside and climb a tree. Not too high but, like, kind of high. Y'know what I mean? Well, you'll know."

[@shadymcnasty5920]

I see it everywhere

[@BIATEC88]

Regarding the last of us tv show. This makes for a really interesting difference in the Zombies. A traditional Zombie is dead and we assume mindless as such. But imagine a fungus Zombie is just a prisoner in his own body. So while they attack and kill there own friends family or neighbours, they are sat watching all they do. Like a macabre vr game experience or something. It makes the whole thing more terrifying and tragic.

[@mattmoss235]

everyone is brainwashed by TV shows.

[@brendanroberts4866]

Its make believe

[@BIATEC88]

@@brendanroberts4866 Thanks. We would have been lost with out you. Thank God I thought it was real. Don't assume we are all Schmucks please. I mean what else could be ment by this

[@brendanroberts4866]

@@BIATEC88 im relieved, and im glad it got under your skin to the extent you felt compelled to respond and explain, this indicates 2nd order intelligence.

[@BIATEC88]

@@brendanroberts4866 I'm relieved aswell. All over your face

[@bro_adway]

the ad segway was so good omg

[@GlowStickNoodle]

From 15:31 until 15:37 is probably what most visit to see. Likely also the answer you expected.

[@LopsidedAdventures]

Our gut microbiome actually controls a huge part of our daily behavior, influencing our mood and cravings for certain foods that may turn out to be beneficial for both the human host and the microbiome itself.

[@musapatr1534]

Artificial organs control his living thing.

[@musapatr1534]

Maybe artificial heart?

[@svm2787]

I guess McDonalds implanted special microbiome inside me. Now it adds up

[@Mary-ly4ip]

Years ago I was ill and became very dehydrated (needed iv fluids). While I was dehydrated, I developed an intense attraction to all evidence of water (rain on a windowpane, dew on the grass, the sound of a dripping tap) but even more weirdly I developed an intense attraction to the colour blue (not usually my favorite colour). I presume it reminded me of water, particularly the bright aqua blue seen inside swimming pools. I actually ordered a backpack online just because it was blue, and have it to this day, but feel very ambivalent about it. Definitely my high sodium levels were changing something in my brain.

[@Ok-fj4mv]

Claim your ticket before the wave of amongus comes

[@edgeman1135]

It’s a fair way to increase engagement on a video

[@xdendordx]

A fongus

[@F-18Super]

Too late

[@N0Xa880iUL]

Sus

[@lotll]

Her- amogus

[@huevohub169]

BRO THIS IS CRAZY

[@jroache._]

I think that if Cordyceps were able to take over human minds it wouldn't go down like The Last of Us as in that story the fungus spreads its spores though biting, where as i feel if it were to happen to humans it would be the same as ants, we would basically be compelled to find an ideal location for the Fungus to grow then die and let it spread that way, so yeah while if and that's a very small if it were to happen it could wipe us out but I don't think we would turn into mindless zombies and start attacking the uninfected.

[@NoName-hg6cc]

But that's how it works in bugs. Who knows how it would evolve in the human brain...

[@esmeraldaweatherwaxe970]

Dunno, with the trumpers I feel we are already there.. have been for years and no one seems to care. I'm just happy I don't have one of the infected living in my home..

[@1224chrisng]

(obligatory Among Us joke here)

[@aiyhavnouneim]

s-sssu-ssu...

[@XVIIstarPt_]

Amogus

[@mr.deathx4679]

A fongus

[@unfunny9572]

‏‏‎ ‎

[@maozk4983]

You are looking rather.... SUS

[@fingerzfrienemy2226]

Thank you for your research and dedication to your craft. OR y'all. ❤ I would offer God bless you and yours.

[@keeshinlim7242]

"how scared do we have to be about these parasi-" Ad: The new chicken mcCrispy-

[@mrbojangles4155]

07:45 the sudden realization that every zombie you’ve ever double-tapped may have had a normal human mind inside, unable to control its own muscles

[@thefmehnater]

In those cases, death is definitely a mercy.

[@shcdemolisher]

@@thefmehnater yeah, plus in those cases, they want someone to end their nightmarish existence.

[@GreatGranger]

Seems like Possession rather than conversion

[@ViraL_FootprinT.ex.e]

Being of clear mind and trapped as a prisoner in your own body sounds even worse than what I expected. I always thought the fungus took over the ants' brains.

[@wedaringu667]

Or maybe it's like retirement where you keep working but don't have to do anything other than watch. Oh yeah... that's hell

[@alexpetrov8871]

The ant brain contains about 250,000 neurons, the human brain - 86,000,000,000, each neuron can have up to 15,000 connections, you can calculate the difference in the complexity of these connections between a person and an ant, I think your fear is completely unfounded as an ant is something close to primitive bio mechanism, word "mind" is irrelevant to it, you won't use AI term to a mechanical calculator

[@DoomFinger511]

The power of an ant's mind is equal to what you think and feel when you touch a hot item and your nervous system moves your hand away. It's completely reactionary and unconscious.

[@qdenver9389]

@@DoomFinger511 you guys cant read or smth? He literally said the the brain is the only thing the fungus doesnt take over so nobody cares how much neurons the brain has or how complicated the human mind is, because the fungus isnt even taking over the brain

[@vihaanreyansh6244]

Yeah, you're going to get a lot of comments from people saying that "oooh an ant's brain is sooo small it can't think or feel anything so it's not afraid at all". But the truth is that science barely understands the brains of any animal. Even with highly sophisticated processors and the latest software engineering, we can't even create machines that can identify and traverse terrain as well as any ant can! The fact that ants are capable of selfish behaviors such as sneaking away to indulge in eating high sugar foods with no intention of sharing should be an indication that on a tiny level an ant recognises itself as an individual and is even capable of enjoying simple pleasures. Scott Waddell, professor of neurobiology at the University of Oxford has done similar work with fruit flies to determine that insects are capable of an emotional range that we previously thought impossible. Which brings me to my point; unless the fungus is kind enough to chemically alter the ant's "mood", much in the same way that chemicals produced by certain fungus like psilocybin can alter and improve moods, then the ant knows that it's no longer in control of it's body, that it's walking away from the safety of it's family and most certainly to it's death. The terror is real.

[@tommyagosta8151]

I can’t believe this whole video was really just a Hello Fresh commercial. Really got me good.

[@mrcr3pzco637]

I believe it might be and we should do more research on this

[@coalitionofcommoncanadians5651]

you do a GREAT GREAT job with your soundtrack material.. KUDOS

[@danfg7215]

Narrator: fungi are dangerous and can mind control you Also narrator: hello fresh has tons of mushroom dishes to choose from

[@MechanicWolf85]

The emerald wasp is less zombie and more xenomorph, which is still terrifying

[@enigma9971]

It turns the roach into a zombie

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

Face hugger!,

[@alexanderatg6588]

cool narrator voice. nice script. well made video overall. very impressed.

[@Thedrewshow559]

I give kudos on segueing from talking about scary fungi in to Hello Fresh. Smooth.

[@4tuneagent]

The How To, in Zombie Philosophy, Lesson 101.. set the hook.

[@VisiblyPinkUnicorn]

Ant: *gets infected* The colony: *There's 1 impostor among us*

[@jaybayer3670]

My god the snail one. That's gonna haunt me forever.

[@keefsmiff]

As an Ant I can confirm this, I lost my best mate Dave to a mushroom head,I feel bad because I just thought he was showing off a new hat.

[@NiMareQ]

8:03 If it's muscle control, how does the fungus see or perceive the world around to navigate with such accuracy?

[@FlamingBasketballClub]

This channel has grown so much since it's first video back in October 2019. I haven't watched a video from Real Science in almost six months.

[@errhka]

This has horrifying implications for the people infected in the last of us - means they would still be in there just cannot control their own bodies

[@mftripz8445]

Lmfao if you’ve played, then thats exactly what goes on. You can hear an infected woman sobbing as she’s eating her friend, she even gags and pukes in her mouth but the fungus keeps forcing her to eat. Lmao if you ever decided to just beat the infected up in that game bare-handed you can hear them scream in pain and plead for mercy/death 😂

[@j.1759]

@@mftripz8445 no shit sherlock that's obvious

[@doomguy9049]

@@mftripz8445 TFW

[@fduranthesee]

Alot like headcrabs from Half-Life

[@theshermantanker7043]

@@mftripz8445 that's only true for the infected in the early stages, once they become clickers and so on the person inside is lost

[@noahsherwood2445]

9:59 what a happy guy

[@abhimitty6372]

Could the strict optimal conditions required for the fungus to grow be the way to counter them?

[@kmeadows100]

Makes sense. Whenever I encounter a leopard while going about my day, my first thought is, "I want to pet that kitty!"

[@esmeraldaweatherwaxe970]

so, you're not a cat person then, I take it?

[@jithendhranp63]

Was really expecting them to talk about how rabies affect humans

[@warmwoolsoxgood4559]

And speak to the parasitic eggs kept at super frozen temperatures until it, along with other machinations, is inserted into warming human beings…. and then hatches, which has been shown by prominent scientists via nano spectrometry. Yes. I’m speaking of that.

[@theresefournier3269]

@@warmwoolsoxgood4559 Ephesians 6: 12? 2 Corinthians 4: 4?

[@jwlafferty]

@WarmWoolSox Good you gotta expand on that. Sounds crazy and interesting.

[@theresefournier3269]

@@jwlafferty yes, cause it could be... morgellons! 🤔

[@SobeCrunkMonster]

you could wish for it, but i cant see how you would expect it when the title says cordyceps fungus

[@PVRGE7]

The "runners" in the TLOU game is horrific. You don't hear the "normal" moan and groan of a zombie, but instead you hear a human (female/male) in pain just crying for help not being able to control their bodies and temptations of eating humans that are not infected... It's pretty terrifying when you think about it. It's actually tragic which makes the TLOU a lot more complex than any normal "zombie" movie/game. When close to them you can just see them constantly trying to fight and control their selves, but unsuccessful due to how powerful the cordyceps fungus is. Man oh man... Resident Evil 7: Biohazard actually has this same concept, but a lot more severe and more of a supernatural/paranormal aspect to it. They speak about mold & also fungus controlling the host completely and transforming them into something so horrific. They hallucinate severly and have no control whatsoever. RE7 & The Last Of Us are tragic stories. The Baker family from RE7 was such a sad story as well.

[@thespiritualsprite]

Well... I wasn't expecting this in the beginning, but that research kinda explains the phenomenon of crazy cat lady 😂

[@triplefisted816]

I enjoy all of the Real Science videos, but this one here is just so wild and ominously spooky.Very cool. Nature is so ruthless! lol

[@vincentlee7359]

And I hope nature destroys all humans ruthlessly in the most brutal way

[@poison_corpse3140]

We are supposed to be part of nature.

[@vincentlee7359]

@@HowIsAsh lmao i highly doubt Hitler wanted the world to be destroyed

[@noahjones8616]

@@vincentlee7359 do you hate humanity?

[@triplefisted816]

@@vincentlee7359 There's a greater chance of us destroying ourselves before nature ever does.

[@purplehaze2358]

Frankly, if cordyceps did control their hosts’ minds, I think that would be somewhat merciful in comparison to the reality of them puppeting their muscles independently from the brain. At least that way, their actual awareness of what’s happening to them would be impaired. Their hosts’ minds are effectively prisoners in bodies they no longer have any control over.

[@Cool20xis]

Tbf I doubt that ants really have much self awareness, if any.

[@laylaminrir]

These things evolves efficiently. There's no efficiency in mercy so that's not something parasites considers. Doubt they're that aware to understand mercy.

[@You-vv1xv]

Fitting for Dr Bright

[@kylekamins6034]

@@Cool20xis Well in the video it shows that ants clean eachother off from infections and even take dead infected away from the population, so they may have a good measure of self awareness, at least to the extent of understanding/protecting their health and survival. I would assume they know exactly whats happening unfortunately

[@robertemerson1087]

@@kylekamins6034 That’s not awareness, that’s natural selection. Tell me, what do you think happened to the ant colonies that didn’t clean each other off and take away infected?

[@bastiansuivera]

Excellently made video.

[@intricatic]

I've been working on a GOF project to find out if cordyceps can infect mammals - namely ground voles and lab mice at this point - and we've had a lot of success so far.

[@russellknight7729]

Another great vid. The research really pays off. Great editing and presentation. One of my favourite channels with content guaranteed to please. Cheers

[@DrPOP-jp7eb]

I thought I had watched and learned about everything possible about cordyceps in the past days, but this video was insanely informative and very desne with information. It doesn't treat you like an idiot but still explains everything very clearly.

[@Sigyd]

That transition to the sponsored content was so smooth lmao

[@amarug]

This was even more terrifying than I expected...

[@kennedylinzie8663]

its amazing just how much detail goes into your videos color me impressed.