Global warming makes fungi more dangerous for humans like in “The Last of Us”

Photo: WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images

The most recent series released by HBO, “The Last of Us” is causing a sensation because it speaks of an impressive fungal infection that wipes out a large part of humanity and turns them into zombiestheme that has generated Doubts about whether something like this could happen in real life and some scientists have said that the rise in temperature of the planet yes could make fungi more dangerous for humans.

The first scene of the series features a fictional 1960s interview with a scientist who claims that fungal infections are one of the greatest threats to humanity. He warns that a likely widespread increase in the planet’s temperature could make humans more susceptible to certain types of fungal infections, and mentions a fungus that is capable of mind-controlling the host it infects.

The fictional scientist refers to a real-life fungus called Cordyceps infecting antstakes over his body and controls his actions. The fungus forces the ant to move to a humid place and wet from a leaf just before it dies, the perfect environment for Cordyceps to grow and spread.

And he warns that with only a genetic mutation, caused by an increase in the temperature of the planetto help it withstand higher temperatures like that of the human body “any of them could become capable of get into our brains and take control not millions of us, but billions.” He adds that there is no cure or treatment, nor is it possible to create one.

The mushroom specialists do not believe that something this serious can happen in reality as a result of fungi, but they do warn of mutations in contagious specimens of this group of organisms, a situation that could affect humans.

A new study from Duke University School of Medicine reveals that the rising temperatures causes a pathogenic fungus known as Cryptococcus deneoformans activate your adaptive responses. This increases their number of genetic changes, some of which could presumably lead to greater resistance to heat, and others perhaps to greater disease-causing potential.

Specifically, the higher heat causes more of the fungus transposable elements, or jumping genes, to rise up and move into fungal DNAor, which causes changes in the way your genes are used and regulated.

Mushrooms will not be able to turn us into zombies

“It is likely that these mobile elements contribute to adaptation in the environment and during an infection,” said postdoctoral researcher Asiya Gusa Ph.D. of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the Duke School of Medicine. “This could occur even faster because thermal stress accelerates the number of mutations that occur.”

maybe this sounds familiar to viewers of the new HBO series “The Last of Us”where a dystopian hellscape is precipitated by a heat-adapted fungus that takes over humans and turns them into zombies. “That’s exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about, minus the zombie part.”said Gusa, who just watched the first episode and will join the Duke faculty as an adjunct professor later this year.

“They are not infectious diseases in the sense of contagious; we don’t transmit the fungus between us”, explains Gusa. “But the spores are in the air. We breathe in fungal spores all the time and our immune system is primed to fight them off.”

The fungal spores are usually larger than viruses, so your current stock of Covid masks would probably be enough to stop them. That, and your body heat, for now.

“The fungal diseases are increasing, largely due to the increasing number of people with weakened immune systems or underlying health problems,” says Gusa. But at the same time, it’s pathogenic fungi may also be adapting to warmer temperatures.

You might also be interested in:

Scientists want climate change warnings on fast food menus

Whales can help us save the world from global warming