The real-life fungi that inspired The Last of Us hijack the bodies of ants, wasps, cicadas, and more.
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Apr 2025
How Does the 'Zombie Ant' Fungus Work?
Some specialized fungi can hijack the behavior of ants, wasps, and spiders in order to spread their spores. Learn about the real-life Cordyceps and Ophiocordyceps fungi that inspired 'The Last of Us' in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffwo ... Show More
7m 8s
Feb 2023
The Fungal Science Behind HBO's 'The Last of Us'
The video game series that spawned the new hit HBO drama, The Last of Us, is the zombie genre with a twist. Instead of the standard viral pandemic or bacterial disease that's pushed humanity to the brink, but a fungus that has evolved to survive in human bodies in part due to cli ... Show More
13 m