Cordyceps Fungus

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Lore & Background

The fictional Cordyceps in *The Last of Us* is a new species that manages to jump the species barrier to infect humans. This reflects real Cordyceps biology, where some species in the genus "are indeed body snatchers–they have been making real zombies for millions of years," though of ants or tarantulas, not of humans. In the game and show, human hosts initially become violent before turning into blind zombies with fungal growths emerging from their heads. They then seek out a dark place in which to die and release the fungal spores, enabling the parasite to complete its life cycle. The 2014 postapocalyptic novel *The Girl with All the Gifts* and its 2016 film adaptation feature a human-infecting fungus that is a mutated form of *Ophiocordyceps unilateralis* (a group of species now split off from *Cordyceps*), which alters the behaviour of infected insects.

In Their Own Story

The air tasted like wet rot and old copper. Elias adjusted his respirator, checking the filter one last time before stepping out of the safehouse. Outside, the city was silent save for the rustle of vines reclaiming concrete skyscrapers. A shadow moved between the ruins—a Clicker, its head encased in hardened fungal growth. It clicked softly, sound waves bouncing off the abandoned cars. Elias froze, holding his breath, knowing one mistake meant becoming part of the fungus itself.

Reader's Guide

The catastrophe began when a new species of Cordyceps managed to jump the species barrier to infect humans, resulting in a zombie apocalypse. Reflecting real Cordyceps biology, the fictional fungi's human hosts initially become violent before turning into blind zombies with fungal growths emerging from their heads. They then seek out a dark place in which to die and release the fungal spores, enabling the parasite to complete its life cycle. Scientific American notes that some species in the genus "are indeed body snatchers–they have been making real zombies for millions of years," though of ants or tarantulas, not of humans. In the 2014 postapocalyptic novel *The Girl with All the Gifts* and its 2016 film adaptation, the human-infecting fungus is a mutated form of *Ophiocordyceps unilateralis* (a group of species now split off from *Cordyceps*) which alters the behaviour of infected insects.

Did You Know?

• The fictional Cordyceps in *The Last of Us* is a new species that jumps the species barrier to infect humans, resulting in a zombie apocalypse.
• Reflecting real Cordyceps biology, infected human hosts initially become violent before turning into blind zombies with fungal growths emerging from their heads.
• Infected hosts seek out a dark place in which to die and release fungal spores, enabling the parasite to complete its life cycle.
• Scientific American notes that some real Cordyceps species 'are indeed body snatchers–they have been making real zombies for millions of years,' though of ants or tarantulas, not of humans.
• In *The Girl with All the Gifts*, the human-infecting fungus is a mutated form of *Ophiocordyceps unilateralis*, a group of species now split off from *Cordyceps*.