He fungus Last of us does not exist as such. That is, there is no fungus capable of manipulate the human brain up to turning people into something similar to zombies. However, it is based on a real mushroom genus: cordyceps. Actually, that’s what the series and video game are called. The one that infects ants is well known, although there are many others. For example, he Ophiocordyceps sinensiswhich turns zombies into caterpillars. However, not only does it not frighten people, but in the places where they live, it is collected crazy because of its high economic value, which can reach $140,000 per kilo.
Grows only in the area Nepal and Tibet. There it infects caterpillar ghost butterfly larvae when they are underground. It breeds inside it until it kills and mummifies it, and only then will it come to the surface. When they bring their prolific body outside, they charge vegetable species starting its first shoots, and that’s when it’s harvested for its supposed benefits.
And that’s what this mushroom cousin Last of us was part traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine. So much so that it is in serious danger of extinction. And not only because of human activity. Including due to climate change. However, it is clear that in this case the fungus should be afraid of a person much more than we should be afraid of him.
Super abilities belonging cousin fungus Last of us
Just like fungus Last of us and the one that parasitizes ants in real life, O. sinensis he has the ability to manipulate the nervous systems of his victims. He turns them into zombies at will. For several months, it feeds on its body and, when it comes time to bear fruit, pushes it to the surface to finish killing it and get out of the body. mummified body.
Doesn’t sound good for the poor caterpillars. However, people love it. Known in China as Dong Chong Xia Cao (summer grass) and in Tibet as yarza gunbu (winter worm). Both names are very appropriate, since the worm remains a worm in winter, and turns into something like grass in summer. It is at this moment that it is harvested, as it has been done for centuries to treat many ailments. In addition, it is also considered to be very effective as aphrodisiac.
Some research has now been done to try and confirm this effectiveness with science. But no big results were achieved. There is one that has been found to have certain benefits in terms of sperm quality. However, it should be noted that it has only been studied in 22 men. Its benefits for the heart and liver have also been studied, but only with animals and with mixed results. As for his alleged role as an energy engineer, there have been only a few studies involving about twenty people.
This, in addition to the fact that he appears to have a significant amount arsenic, led to a ban on its medical use. Despite this, many people continue to collect it, and it is not uncommon to find it in some local herbalists. And this, among other reasons, leads to the decline of this mushroom cousin Last of us.
Climate change is also to blame
Interesting fungus. Last of us becomes dangerous to humans in series and video games due to global warming. In this real case, climate change could lead to its extinction.
And the fact is that in recent years the temperature at which it exists they change very quickly. As if this is not enough, it continues to be collected in Asia and there are fewer and fewer of them. It is for this reason that some labs have been looking for a way to get their fruiting bodies in the lab. But there are people who practically live off the money they make from harvesting, so they don’t want it to be artificially synthesized. They need to keep collecting mummified wormsbut they are getting smaller and smaller. If it finally disappears, it could end the nightmare of these larvae. But we must not forget that mushrooms, even if we do not like them, are also necessary for the planet. His disappearance is not good news.
Source: Hiper Textual
