In the first episode of The Last of Us, we are given information that tells us about the infection that started the outbreak. For those who played the game or are super fans of The Last of Us, you’re more than likely well aware of what’s behind the infection that essentially ended the world and brought humanity to its knees. Naughty Dog has been on record about its inspirations for its own zombie-like infection and there are countless videos and articles that talk at length about the scientific history of this outbreak. Thankfully, for those who are new to this series, the show tells you all about it right away.
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In the very first scene of The Last of Us, the audience is treated to a flashback to 1968 where two epidemiologists are talking about possible viruses on a talk show. A man known as Dr. Newman begins talking about a fungal infection/parasite that already exists: Cordyceps. The Cordyceps fungus has the ability to take over and essentially zombify insects and prevents decomposition. The host then goes in search of other creatures to spread the infection to. It’s quickly noted that such an infection poses no risk to humanity as the parasite can’t survive the internal temperature of a human. However, should the earth grow warmer through things like global warming, the fungus would then need to mutate in order to survive and become strong enough to conquer a human. When asked what that means for humanity, he notes that we’d “lose.”
Could The Last of Us Really Happen?
So, sounds very spooky and the perfect set up for some good sci-fi/horror fiction, right? Well, part of the reason it works so well is because almost all of that is correct. The Cordyceps fungus is real and creates these zombie-like insects. However, the odds of it jumping to humans is currently unlikely… but not impossible. It would indeed need to mutate in a significant way to pose any real danger to us, but as of right now, we don’t really have to worry about that. However, the rapidly changing nature of the planet and environmental changes could make us more susceptible to such a condition. Fandom spoke at length with disease biologist and Penn State University’s professor of Entomology and Biology David Hughes in 2019 about the matter.
“[…] There [are] a few barriers for the Cordyceps to overcome,” said Hughes. “But given our crowded living conditions and given our accelerating poverty, there might be conditions where we’d promote more fungal transmission rather than less.”
He also noted how the Black Death pandemic can inform us about the ways history could repeat itself with a Cordyceps infection.
“The Black Death wiped out one-third of Europe. That was transmitted from an insect into a rat and then eventually from a rat into humans. So, if there was an intermediate infection and some way we exposed ourselves to the infected insects more often, that’s a mechanism [for the Cordyceps to spread]…”
You don’t need to get alarmed, it’s probably going to be completely fine. But yes, there is a small chance something similar to The Last of Us could happen. It probably wouldn’t be quite as dramatic as the one in the show or games as Naughty Dog took some creative liberties with its monsters, but it certainly wouldn’t be good.
If you want more deep dives into The Last of Us, ComicBook and Entertainment Tonight have partnered up for a new podcast: The Last of Pods. The podcast will release every Sunday right after each episode of the show ends and will include breakdowns, interviews with guests from the show, and more. You can click here to find out more.
What do you think of The Last of Us‘ explanation of its outbreak? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
