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Monday January 30, 2023

The zombie fungus from 'The Last Of Us' is real — but not nearly as deadly

In the video game and HBO show The Last of Us, an infectious fungi turns humans into zombies. David McNew/Getty Images hide caption

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David McNew/Getty Images

Science

The zombie fungus from 'The Last Of Us' is real — but not nearly as deadly

January 30, 2023 • This species of fungus, Ophiocordyceps, is known for using "mind control" on insect hosts. Humans, however, are immune.

Monday October 25, 2021

The zombies living in our midst

An ant is host of the parasitic Ophiocordyceps fungus. Katja Schulz/Flickr hide caption

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Katja Schulz/Flickr

Short Wave

The zombies living in our midst

October 25, 2021 • The idea of human zombies probably seems pretty far-fetched. But there are real zombies out there in the animal kingdom. To kick off Halloween week, science writer Ed Yong of The Atlantic creeps us out with a couple of examples. Hint: they involve fungus. (Encore episode)

The zombies living in our midst

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