By Daniela Jimenez Roman
Since it came out in mid-January, everyone has been watching HBO Max’s new hit show The Last of Us. It’s a science fiction tv series that follows a pair, Joel and Ellie, that have been connected through the rough circumstances of a post-apocalyptic fungi outbreak.
The interesting part of the tv series is that it does seem like it’s impossible from happening in real-life. Yes, we have all seen zombie movies and shows, but the fact that this apocalyptic world happened because of some fungus is horrifying.
According to an article published by Aubrey Byron on Slate, studies have shown that fungus is already adapting to different climate changes. What many people don’t know is that fungus is actually more closely related to humans than they are to our plant friends.
Through my research, I have come across many articles stating that most fungi can even live within the human body because of our body temperature being high.
An article published on Barron’s called “The Last of Us Come Alive: Fungi are Adapting to Warmer Temperatures,” states that due to climate change, researchers have been able to see fungi thriving in warmer climates and hotter areas as they keep finding new ways to adapt.
Camila Mejia, a recent graduate from the University of Tampa said, “I believe that a fungus can be a threat to the human species as it can affect the health, and after the pandemic, we realized how weak and how poorly prepared we are for health and life-threatening situations.”
I agree with what Camila said – we have seen this in the past with the COVID-19 pandemic. If something was going to happen, we aren’t going to be prepared for it. Especially something as dangerous as a fungal infection.
We are still studying how fungus can range from unnoticeable to deadly. Even more so, we are still understanding how they function when taken as psychedelics.
The specific type of fungus in the show called “Cordyceps” – in real life – can’t affect humans, but does affect various insect species.
Like it does in the show, in real life, this fungus does control the mind of such insects as ants.
ABC News then published that when the Cordyceps are in the mind of an ant they mind control the host to “to migrate to humid climates where the conditions are perfect for growth.”
The article “The science behind the zombie fungus from ‘The Last of Us’,” also talks about how the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in October 2022, of 19 fungal pathogens representing the greatest threat to public health. Yet, fungal infections receive less than 1.5% of infectious disease funding.
Does that mean we should be scared? I don’t think we should, but the fact that it can still be possible means that we do more about how climate change can affect these fungi and how their mutations can later affect us as humans.
Another fan of the show, Sebastian Donato, who is currently studying pre-vet at Ohio-State University, says, “I think it is plausible but on a much smaller scale. It is true the world is changing due to climate change, and we can never tell with the new mutations inside animals and flora to survive.”
While the fungus in the show is improbable that it will affect humans the way that it affects insects or other animals, I do believe that the world should start preparing better for animal or insect mutations that are happening due to our climate changes.
Once again, we weren’t prepared for the pandemic, and I doubt we will be prepared if another outbreak happens, especially if it includes something that isn’t as researched or funded as fungal infections.
In an article by The Scientific American, they talk about how they have tried to make some vaccinations for fungal infections, but they just don’t seem to work. That it would only work if other people of power stepped in and said it was just as “important” as treating other infections with vaccines.
With all the information that I have researched and talked to people about, I think there is no doubt that we should always be prepared for something as big as another pandemic, but the truth is we will never be sure of what the next big thing will be.
I think fungal infections or pandemics are just another scary story for great script writers and movie directors to turn into amazing tv shows and docuseries.
After surviving a global pandemic for more than two years, the next couple of science fiction writers will want to write about their own experiences using their imagination and their own touch of creativity.
There will always be something out there that threatens human life, but it doesn’t mean we should stop living and worry about the next thing that might kill us.
If anything, we should take away from shows like this. We should be grateful that we have survived something close to it and that we should always make the best out of every moment because you never know when the next threat might happen.