Hit HBO series “Our Last” Returning to Season 2 on April 13th, fans were fascinated by the horrifying concept of a fungal pandemic that turns humans into zombies.
The idea of ​​fungi to create zombie-like humans may sound exaggerated, but real scientists are studying the evolution of fungi and the connections behind climate change, studying the threats they pose to different species.
Photo by Liane Hentscher/HBO
Here’s what we know about the science that influenced the premise of the show:
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In “The Last of Us,” Cordyceps, the real fungus that infect insects, evolves into harmful pathogens in humans due to warming climates. In reality, “zombie ant bacteria” or Ophiocordyceps inilateralis are parasitic bacteria that infect and manipulate the behavior of carpenter ants, which ultimately lead to their deaths.
Dr. Jim Cronstad, a microbiologist at the University of British Columbia, explains that Cordyceps fungi are impossible to adapt to humans as they infect insects. Our temperature and immunity cannot survive above 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, preventing most fungal species from adapting to the human body.
In season 1 of the TV series adapted from the 2013 video game of the same name, the Cordyceps zombie used tentacles to infect humans. However, Season 2 reveals that zombies have also evolved to spread fungi through spores in the air.
“It’s more realistic about how humans acquire fungal infections,” Kronstad said.
Climate change and fungal adaptation
In the opening scene of the show, 1968 epidemiologists theorize that climate change can promote the development of fungi that lead to zombie apocalypse, and today scientists are more concerned that warming planets are increasing the risk of human fungal infections.
As temperatures rise, some fungi may adapt to survive in warmer conditions and potentially increase their ability to infect humans.
One real-world example of the increasing widespread use of fungi due to climate change is Tani feveris caused by coccidioides bacteria. This pathogen thrives in hot, dry areas like the southwestern United States. When disturbed soil releases spores into the air, they can be inhaled, and in some cases can cause flu-like illnesses that can become severe. The conditions-drying rise in temperatures and long-term drought correlate with boosts in fungal growth and spread, experts say.
“There have been some very thoughtful and careful studies examining how different levels of temperature change affect the dryness and the drier state that travel southwest through North America,” Kronstad said. This means that as the climate warms, fungi may move to new areas, increasing the number of people at risk.
I saw California last year A rapid rise in the case of valley fever. There have been hot spots for a long time between Central Valley, especially Fresno and Bakersfield, but increasing temperatures push the fungus further north. Areas like Sacramento and Northern California Currently, an increase in infections is being seen, and scientists are directly linked to climate-driven changes in temperature and soil conditions.
Threat to agriculture
Climate change and fungi are threatening not only the human body but also what enters it.
As temperatures change, plant pathogenic fungi (fungal damage and kill plants) could spread to regions that were not previously an issue, but could affect agriculture and threaten global food security.
“Fungi are actually the most devastating cause of crop loss and threats to sustainability,” Cronstad told CBS News. “And climate change could have an impact on that as the fungi move to other regions where they may not have actually caused the disease.”
Fungal risks and risks
Despite the horrifying portrayals in the series, not all fungi are bad. In fact, they play an important role in ecosystems, such as breaking down organic materials and acting as carbon sinks.
“The fungi are very important. What they did for humans is incredible,” Kronstad said. They are used in everything from medicines to food production, and some can help recycle ecosystem nutrients.
Zombie apocalypse like “The Last of Us” remains fictional, but the way fungi react to climate change is realistic and concerning. Scientists are closely monitoring how warming temperatures can be more resilient and adapted to some fungi, which could lead to an increase in infections in both humans and crops.
So, we enjoy television as science fiction, but the idea that climate change can affect the spread and adaptation of harmful fungi is something scientists take seriously.
When will the “The Last of Us” season 2 premiere?
“The Last of Us” returns to the second season of HBO and MAX on Sunday, April 13th at 9pm ET/PT, bringing back the cold world where fungal infections have transformed humanity.
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