Is the Cordyceps mushroom in The Last Of Us real?

I’m sorry to say this but yes, mushroom what’s left of us this is real. However, it does not react exactly as shown in the series. With the launch of the HBO series, the saga of Joel and Ellie became popular again around the world; The opening part of the first episode scared a lot of people. cordyceps – in the scene, a scientist points out that fungi can be more dangerous than viruses.

Actually, HThis About 600 varieties of Cordyceps found in different parts of the world and react with symptoms that turn the host into a kind of zombie. – just like in what’s left of us. But be calm, at least for now, the fungus can only infect different types of insects.

What is Cordyceps?

Cordyceps is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that lives on different types of insects; each variation of the fungus specializes in a different insect, such as ants and caterpillars. Spores released by cordyceps harbor the animal and turn it into a kind of zombie, causing erratic behavior with the aim of spreading more spores among other invertebrate creatures.

In most cases, by becoming a fungal host, the insect will be encouraged to return to its nest with others of its kind to spread the spores and infect more hosts. Depending on the variety, Cordyceps incubation can take up to five days, an ascoma (body) of the fungus begins to grow by the insect and spreads the spores over the area – the fungus can take one to two weeks to grow.

“About one to two weeks after the ant’s death, ascoma forms outside the animal’s body. “The spores are produced and released into the environment and can infect new ants again,” said Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos, a biology professor at the Brasil Escola website.

the variety offered what’s left of us Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which usually infects different species of ants and other arthropods. Obviously, the fictional version of Cordyceps featured in the series has mutated to be able to host humans.

Can I become a zombie with Cordyceps?

You can rest assured that you will not be infected by one of the Cordyceps strains, at least for now. Human antibodies are the defense needed to protect us from Cordyceps, and even then, the mutated version of the fungus what’s left of us does not exist in real life.

Despite the different negative aspects that Cordyceps provides for insects, there are many scientific studies that show the benefits of its medicinal use for humans. Dozens of companies sell Cordyceps in different versions, often in its powdered or original format.

Cordyceps for better health

Different scientific data show that the use of Cordyceps is beneficial for humans and provides several positive effects.. Experts and specialized websites point out that among the advantages of its medicinal use by ingestion, the mushroom can improve the immune system, kidney function, increase daily energy, and even help microcirculation and blood flow in the brain.

Cordyceps also contains cordycepin, a bioactive compound that may help against cancer. In a recent study on mushrooms, scientists found that the mushroom’s high levels of cordycepine may help against the spread of cancer.

Cordicepin is one of the cytotoxic nucleoside analogues with complementary therapeutic activities in antiproliferation and antimetastasis in cancer cells. In addition, recent research findings strongly warrant preclinical and clinical studies of cordycema for comprehensive treatment of COVID-19.”