This is the kind of fungus you should be afraid of
Moldy cheese? Delicious. Mold on your bread? No thanks. You’d better avoid some types of mold, as you’ve probably known for a long time. But a new type has now been discovered—and you’ll want to avoid it at all costs. Do you know the series The Last Of Us? This series is set in a post-apocalyptic world, twenty years after humanity was largely wiped out by a certain type of fungus.
People who come into contact with it become hostile and aggressive, until they are a kind of cannibalistic zombies. Sounds pretty far-fetched and very Sci-Fi, right? Yep. Let’s talk about the type of fungus this series is based on.
This fungus really exists
The Last Of Us is based on a video game, and its creator drew inspiration from cordyceps, a type of mushroom. When, for example, insects eat it, this fungus manages to penetrate the insects’ brains—and in this way influences their behavior. The mushroom in question is the Ophiocordyceps fungi, which really does take over the brains of, for example, insects and turns them into aggressive creatures.
This all sounds pretty alarming, right? I thought so too. Fortunately, I did a little research and apparently humans are not susceptible to it, even if we come into contact with it. Luckily, our brains work very differently from those of insects, and we are much harder to take over. Still, I wouldn’t risk it—you’d probably get seriously ill. And now let’s keep our fingers crossed that this mushroom doesn’t evolve into something that can turn us into cannibalistic zombies.
Also read:
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- Warning: life-threatening amount of hard drugs found in Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial champagne
- Did you know liquorice is so dangerous?
Image: Pubity / imago.images
