The Real Fungal Threat Behind Zombies

The terrifying monsters in The Last of Us are inspired by a real-world fungus that turns insects into mindless puppets. This parasitic cordyceps fungus infects ants and hijacks their nervous systems to control their movements.

While the show portrays humans as the victims, the Ophiocordyceps fungus is a legitimate nightmare in the insect kingdom. It forces ants to climb to high, humid spots before killing them so it can sprout spores to infect others. Creators adapted this biological reality into a fictional pandemic that forces a society to collapse. It is a rare example of science fiction drawing directly from the macabre tactics of nature.