The series The Last of Us premiered yesterday, January 15, on the streaming platform HBO Max. The program is an adaptation of the eponymous game developed by Naughty Dog and released for PlayStation platforms..
Awaited by video game fans, the series is one of the main bets for 2023. The differential of the game The Last of Us is that it was inspired by the ability of cordyceps fungus parasitize arthropods and turn them into real zombies.
What is The Last of Us series like?
The protagonists are actors Pedro Pascal (Joel), who has starred in the Narcos series, and Bella Ramsey (Ellie), who participated in Game of Thrones. Directed by Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann.
The story of The Last of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization was almost destroyed due to the Cordyceps fungus infection, about which little information was known. The fungus was considered lethal and there was no medicine or vaccine to control it.
The Cordyceps fungus almost caused the extinction of humans. The fungus came to control the population, making it practically zombie. The consequence is that the planet was almost destroyed.
In the series, Joel is a survivor hired to take Ellie, just 14 years old, to a place where she can be investigated, since she has not contracted the fungus infection.
However, Joel's task becomes exhausting and full of adventures. In summary: the protagonists of The Last of Us are connected and depend on each other to survive.
Do not stop now... There's more after the publicity ;)
What is the Cordyceps fungus from The Last of Us series?
The Cordyceps fungus depicted in The Last of Us series is a genus of fungi that is part of the phylum Ascomycota. Most Cordyceps fungi live inside arthropods, invertebrate animals whose greatest examples are insects.
Second This article by Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos, Professor of Biology at Brasil Escola, Cordyceps fungi, in general, infect arthropods with their spores, which develop inside the animal. Initially, the fungus keeps the host alive, but after completing the sexual phase of its reproductive cycle, it ends up killing the host.
The best-known relationship between the Cordyceps fungi that appear in The Last of Us series and game and arthropods occurs between fungi of the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu latu complex and ants, which become true zombies.
The professor of Biology at Brasil Escola, Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos, explains that Cordyceps fungi if develop inside the ant's body, consuming muscle structures of the ant. animal. During this time, the ant maintains its activities normally. The fungus continues to develop until it reaches the central nervous system, which occurs about a week or two after infection.
"Once the ant is infected by the Cordyceps fungus, which appears in the HBO Max series The Last of Us, the ant begins to to move in a different way, showing shaky movements and frequently falling out of the bushes he tries to move up. This happens due to seizures caused by the fungus", details biology teacher Vanessa.
The teacher says that the ant then dies after fixing its mandibles on the side of a leaf or on other parts of the plant. "After about one to two weeks of the ant's death, the formation of the ascoma outside the animal's body is observed. The spores are then produced and released into the environment, and can, again, infect new ants", he points out.
Cordyceps fungus benefits
The Last of Us series depicts negative aspects of the Cordyceps fungus. However, research indicates that it is widely used in Traditional Chinese medicine, as well as in traditional Japanese, Korean and Indian medicine.
At China, for example, the Cordyceps fungus is sold in packets containing the fungus larva and ascoma and can be consumed in the form of teas and soups.
See below the main benefits of Cordyceps fungus:
Helps improve anemia;
reinforces the Immunity;
Delays the aging process;
Helps in post-surgical recovery;
It has antitumor action;
Helps fight sexual impotence.
By Silvia Tancredi
Journalist
