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FAIn honor of season 2 of @thelastofus on HBO, here’s a quick teaser compilation of Cordyceps clips and other fungal/slime mold motifs that are featured in the show (eg Chicken of the Woods “Clickers”)
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Unfortunately the first season of #TLOU was riddled with inaccurate science, fostering negative attitudes towards mushrooms (mycophobia). Regardless, I enjoyed the show and sci-fi universe in which it’s set, however I spend much of my time online working to correct the misconceptions caused by this show. My goal is to educate people through my content rather than stoke their irrational fears.
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Below is an excerpt from my book “Passport to Kingdom Fungi”, which will be released on April 22nd.
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WILL MUSHROOMS
START A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE?
Cordyceps have entered the collective cultural consciousness through the popularity of the videogame and TV series The Last of Us, in which a fictional Ophiocordyceps jumps from insect to human, quickly initiating a worldwide apocalypse of infected mycelium-controlled “zombies” pitted against the uninfected survivors. Thankfully, cordyceps are not capable of taking over the human body as they do with insects. Humans have fundamentally different physiology than insects. Our immune system can handle most forms of fungal pathogens, and we have drugs to treat infections that get out of hand. A few species of cordyceps can infect humans, but manifest as a rash on skin. It is virtually impossible for cordyceps to evolve or be genetically manipulated to the point that they would be able to systemically infect and control humans. The Last of Us is a phenomenal work of sci-fi but is purely fictional There are however other mushrooms with spores that can opportunistically infect humans and cause respiratory infections. Examples include: puffballs (Lycoperdon), silver leaf disease (Chondrostereum purpureum), and splitgills (Schizophyllum).These types of infections are rare, but falling human body temperatures and rising global temperatures mean that more fungal pathogens will emerge in unpredictable ways.
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#thelastofus #thelastofusseries #thelastofushbo #thelastofusedit #parasite #pathogen #disease #mycoses #clickers #spores
@fascinatedbyfungi
