Long before humans walked the Earth, while dinosaurs were still roaming the land, a parasitic fungus hijacked the mind of a ...

Parasitic fungi have been with us since at least the Cretaceous period zombifying insects according to a new study of fossils ...

The zombie-creating fungus in The Last of Us is real, but there are many other fungi to fear. Of the 5 million fungal species in the world, a few hundred are dangerous to people.

In The Last of Us, a television and video game series, survivors of an apocalyptic fungal pandemic struggle to survive after the collapse of society, fighting other survivors and the feral humans who ...

Naughty Dog. Cordyceps are parasitic fungi that usually attack insects, arthropods, or other fungi. Essentially, the Cordyceps fungus doesn’t tend to bug us too much in real life.

Early corn earworm damage is evident on the leaf of a cotton plant (at left), and a sample of B. Bassiana, a parasitic fungus that attacks insects, is prepared for study. Photos courtesy of Hadi ...

The fungal plague that devours human society in The Last of Us results from a mutation of the parasitic fungus Cordyceps, spread through bites, spores, and contact, killing its host at gruesome rates.

The so-called Cordyceps infection turns them into ravening creatures with no memory of their former lives and no recognition of friends or loved ones. They attack anyone who’s uninfected, and their ...

In reality, "zombie-ant fungus" or Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, is a parasitic fungus that infects and manipulates the behavior of carpenter ants, ultimately leading to their death.

In "The Last of Us," cordyceps — a real fungus that infects insects — evolves into a harmful pathogen for humans due to a warming climate. In reality, "zombie-ant fungus" or Ophiocordyceps ...

4. Spread of the cordyceps virus. In the game (as in nature!), the disease is spread by spores released into the air by the already infected, whether they’re dead or alive.

Can cordyceps infect humans? In "The Last of Us," cordyceps — a real fungus that infects insects — evolves into a harmful pathogen for humans due to a warming climate.