Released by Naughty Dog in 2013, The Last of Us attracted attention with its remarkable story and gameplay, as well as its unusual zombie designs. At game clicker We’ve seen this type of zombie, called this type of zombie, in both the second game and the series of the same name, which recently aired on BluTV.

Well, these weird looking and pretty creepy zombies Could it really happen one day? Today we are going to look for an answer to this question together.

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First, let’s take a look at the zombies in the game and their stories:

Called “clicker” in the game, this type of zombie appears in South America in 2013 (in Indonesia in 2003 in the series), according to the story of the game. exist in real life This fungus, a mutated type of Cordyceps mushroom (aka zombie mushroom), can infect humans and turn them into creatures you see in 4 stages of mutation.

In the first stage, individuals who are bitten or inhale the spores of the fungus become extremely aggressive within days and lose the ability to act consciously. The second stage begins a few weeks later and the entire body of the individuals is covered in fungus from the head down. Individuals at this stage gradually lose their sight and it is permanently under the control of the fungus. It should also be noted that clickers at this stage are the most innocuous type of clickers we’ve seen in the early game.

Clickers, entering the third stage after about a year, gradually became like bats and dolphins. start using echolocation. Clickers that “see” using sound waves click with their jawbones, which mutate to make these sounds. Reaching the fourth and final stage is a very difficult process and these beings reach the final stage in about 10 years. At this stage, the body of the zombies is completely covered with mold, and even if they die, their body the fungi continue to grow and spread their spores and infect people nearby.

This fungus, which infects people in the game, turns ants into zombies in real life.

The interesting thing is that the Cordyceps mushroom, which caused the emergence of these zombies, which we saw in the series as well as The Last of Us Part 1 and 2. exists in real life. But don’t worry, because this mushroom is real do not infect humans.

This fungus, which targets ants, is actually very similar to what we see in games and mutates in much the same way. It is transmitted to ants with the help of spores and located in the brain stem After maturation, this fungus controls the movements of ants with enzymes and after being directed to the most suitable environment for the fungus to reproduce kills them and begins spreading their spores for their next victim.

There are many species of this fungus, but all target ants, flies, and similar insect species almost equally. trying to reproduce by using it as a host.

Looking at the studies on this mushroom species, one name stands out. Disease biologist and professor of biology David P. Hughes. He is an expert on Cordyceps fungi and similar infections, and joined the Naughty Dog team in the first game. A name that has consulted on Cordyceps mushrooms.

In an article he published in 2019, Hughes argues that humankind has struggled for centuries with different types of evolved fungi, but that these fungi are usually simple ones, such as athlete’s foot. He also recalled that some fungi can mutate within 50 to 150 years, recalling that the Cordyceps mushroom It is not impossible that it becomes contagious to humans. states.

However, Hughes said that even if this type of fungus actually infects humans one day, they may not turn into aggressive zombie-like creatures, as we see in the game. Instead, individuals infected by the Cordyceps fungus, such as ants and other insects, move their hosts into suitable breeding environments. killed there will attempt to complete the reproductive cycle.

So one day Cordyceps mushrooms may infect humans, but as we saw in the game It is unlikely that a zombie epidemic will break out. Even in the ancient Chinese Empire times of Cordyceps mushrooms, kidney problems, in the treatment of lung diseases It is also scientifically proven to be used to stop bleeding.

Professor David Hughes also said that preparing a drug against fungi is not easy, and that if a possible Cordyceps mutation occurs, finding a working and approved treatment. that it could take 20 years also states.

• Sources: NIH, Herbal medicine, The Last of Us Fandom Wiki