The Last of Us: This Is the Real Fungus That Turns Ants into “Zombies”

The theme of the moment for series lovers last of usA production inspired by the video game that bears the same name and that became a resounding success, especially because of the story, as it unfolds under an apocalyptic scenario mushroom Which seizes the world’s population.

The name of the fungus referred to in the series is Cordyceps And it’s real. Well-known for many years in the scientific community, the Cordyceps fungus has been known to turn some insects into “zombies”, as in series that are currently in circulation,

The full name of a fungus studied mainly in ants is ophiocardiceps unilateral, It attacks the heads of tropical carpenter ants and manipulates them for weeks until optimal conditions for reproduction are achieved and eventually kills the ant.

cordyceps fungus is what appears in last of usIt is found in tropical environments, and in recent years it has become possible to study more about its operation, as a team of experts from the State University of Pennsylvania in the United States was able to document in Thailand how it affects the brain. Attacks by ants and what happens is its fatal result.

according to research done by David Hughesattacks the organism of the fungus ant By controlling the central nervous system and his muscles, since this is his food route, until he is forced to be able to attach himself to the plant through a bite and grow.

Once the insect is infected, it begins to move in an awkward manner and with frequent convulsions, while the fungus manages to climb trees and reach the right place for the fungus to reproduce.

It is at this point that the sight becomes terrifying, as the infection grows inside the ant, it reaches the point where the ant is already dead and attached to the leaf, a stalk begins to grow from the head. it is fungus begins to release spores To infect more insects and continue their reproduction.

“We noticed that, prior to biting into that leaf, the ant’s muscles changed dramatically, no doubt due to the production of some very interesting chemical substances,” Hughes noted in an interview. . BBC,

The answer is no, because as indicated in the series, research indicates that the fungus cannot survive inside the human body, at least not for now, as the conditions for its growth must be very specific.

For this reason,zombie ant fungusVery special for a very small group of animals.