The Last of Us

[intrepidity]

I found this interesting. I will continue to treat fungi as allies and not an enemy, whew.

The Last of Us CORDYCEPS Myths DEBUNKED By Real Fungus Expert!

[Farmer-Rick]

1. Thanks for posting this

If not for your post I would not have watched this and boy would I have missed out on a great series.

The science in this is not correct, like the video says. There are mushrooms that thrive in 100+ F temperatures. I've grown them. Folks in India grow them. They are calked milky mushrooms because of their white color. Trying to coach mycelium to grow and fruit is a careful process and it's kinda funny to see all the mycelium and mushrooms growing despite less than optimum conditions.

But aside from the science, it is a great show. Reminds me of the early episodes of the Walking Dead. The science in the Walking Dead was wrong too but the show was great for a very long time. In fact it really has a Walking Dead vibe that will keep me watching, despite the science. I mean reanimated corpses? Who would have thought that people would buy into that.

That 3rd episode is a killer and I dare you to watch it without feeling you were on a rollercoaster of emotions.

So thanks for you post, I am so glad I watched it.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

2. I am not a scientist, but I thought Last of Us used cordyceps...

which they indicate specifically can't live in the temperatures of the human body, but they evolve with global warming.

Though I'm not a zombie (and, yes, Last of Us isn't technically zombies) fan for the science. As long as it's close to plausible.

[Farmer-Rick]

3. Yeah, Cordyceps are technically not mushrooms

Because they grow as parasites on insects. But many varieties can grow on vegetative substrates and people eat them for health and energizing benefits.

Yeah that particular fungi has not evolved in 100 F temperatures but if regular mushroom fungi can do it, why would it be remarkable for Cordyceps to do it? They may even be tasty.

Yeah, I get the theory behind it. And obviously I put aside my doubt to enjoy the show.

But I have a tough time thinking a mushroom would eat me instead of the other way around.

[intrepidity]

4. You're welcome

I finally watched ep 3 and it was pretty good, not gonna lie.

Although, I always have difficulty watching "Ron Swanson" in any other role, no matter how many times I see him.

I also had difficulty with the other guy (Bill? Frank?) who I first saw and really liked in "The White Lotus" except he lost his charming Australian accent!

It was a well-crafted and touching episode, for sure. I've read that they deviated from the game on this one, and it was a good choice.

Overall, I'm enjoying this series, having never heard of the game (not a gamer). And I agree that it shares the vibe of the early episodes of "The Walking Dead" especially the TWD pilot. I remember watching that twice the first time I saw it, it was so good. No episode of TWD was better than that pilot, imho. I watched for several seasons before finally tiring of the repetitive storylines.

[intrepidity]

5. On the topic of the science

I don't know of it was in that video or another I had seen, but apparently it was recently discovered that cordyceps does *not* infiltrate the brains of the ants it infects, but rather attaches to muscle cells/fibers to direct and control movement. Fascinating! The fungus needs the brain intact to, apparently, locate the *precise*---and it is remarkably so!---location of the leaf that it will eventually die upon, as cordyceps finally produces the fruiting body the pierces through the skull, killing the ant.

I can't wait to learn *how* this actually works. Is it a hallucinogen that causes the ant to believe that it must go to that leaf that is exactly x-distance above the ground, exactly y-distance from the colony above, but with the fungus coordinating the movement to get there? Or, is the role of the fungus on the muscles to *prevent* movement completely once it is on the leaf? And, how does the fungus know? Does the fungus "learn" something from the "WoodWideWeb" after the ant pierces the leaf? I mean, how does this work??

If I were young, I might seriously be considering entering this field of research.

[Farmer-Rick]

6. Oh that is fascinating

I never thought about how exactly the fungi manipulates and kills its host(?).

When I was first learning to grow gourmet mushrooms it had just become legal for home growing and we saw the cordyceps as organic pesticides. That it may develop to do the same thing to other insects. Not sure how far the research on that went. But after watching the last of us, I'm glad it didn't go any further.