The series “The Last of Us” displayed on HBO and Max, is based on a successful video game franchise that portrays a dystopian future where a kind of fungus began to infect humans and turn them into zombies. The work of fiction has an inspiration in our reality, since, In the world of invertebrates, fungi capable of transforming common beings into zombies are a reality .
An example of this is a fungus recently discovered by researchers in caves at Ireland do Norte . The body is able to parasitize spiders of Mellina Merianae and Meta Menardardi species, and make them change their behavior, seeking places with exposure to light and wind, and fixing in them before you die. This behavior, uncommon in unfeed spiders, favors the dispersal of fungus spores.
The parasite was named Gibellula Attenboroughii honoring the renowned British naturalist David Attenborough.
The Brazilian Biologist João Araújo mycologist at the Museum of Natural History of Denmark, assistant professor at the University of Copenhagen and involved in the discovery of the new fungus, states that it is already known a lot about the fungi that parasitize ants, wasps and some other invertebrates. But these are part of another family, so it is another origin of behavioral manipulation. “It’s really interesting that is not very common in the world of parasites.”
The origin of the discovery
In 2021, a filming team found a spider infected with the fungus while recording a television show on an abandoned gunpowder deposit to southeastern Belfast in Northern Ireland. This aroused the interest of the scientists, who later found more spider with the same characteristics in other caves in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The change in behavior of these animals after fungal infection impressed scientists, as these spiders, when healthy, do not leave their webs. It is not yet known exactly how internal functioning of the fungus occurs. But the researchers believe that the parasite Lead the spiders out of their webs where they are exposed to circulating air currents, which helps spread their spores, which then infect other spiders.
João Araújo also emphasizes the importance of these organisms in the ecosystem. It has already been documented, even, fungi similar to this acting on the biological control of ants in nature.
According to Matthew Nelsen, an evolutionary biologist and researcher at the Field Natural History Museum in Chicago, who was not part of the fungus study, people should not worry about the possibility that these fungi can infect humans.
“Although there are some fungi that inhabit caves and are problematic for humans, it is part of a group of fungi that infects only spiders. To infect humans, it would be necessary to evolve to tolerance to our hot body temperature and get around our immune system, both of which act as strong defenses against most fungi.”
Future research
João Araújo’s team intends to continue studying fungi of the genus Gibellula. A deeper understanding of these fungi could eventually result in the creation of new formulations to be used in agriculture or even new treatments in human medicine.
John also states that understanding how fungus acts chemically in spider metabolism can result in important discoveries to be applied to the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative human brain diseases.
Was this content originally published in “The Last of Us”? Fungus that transforms spiders into zombies is discovered on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
