The Last of Us Decoded: Could Cordyceps Infect Humans?

In the first episode of HBO's The Last of Us, a scientist warns that fungi, not viruses, are the real danger. In episode 5 of Creature Decoded we find out how real that is. Meet the zombie-ant fungus that inspired the game, discovered by Alfred Russel Wallace in 1859, which steers carpenter ants into a death grip on a leaf, and has been doing it for at least 48 million years. We look at nature's other puppet masters (hairworms, Leucochloridium, Toxoplasma), the real science of echolocation behind the clickers, giant fungal networks, the drug-resistant fungus Candida auris that worries scientists today, and whether natural immunity like Ellie's exists. Then we ask the question that still divides fans: was Joel right? This video is commentary and education. It contains no game or show footage: images are fan cosplay and photos of real animals, places and people shared under Creative Commons licenses or in the public domain. The Last of Us is a trademark of its respective owners. Facts checked as of October 2026. This video is not medical advice. ⏱ Chapters 0:00 Fungi Can't Survive Inside Us. Yet. 0:55 Born from a Nature Documentary 2:28 The Zombie-Ant Fungus 4:04 Who's Really in Control? 5:07 Nature's Puppet Masters 6:30 Clickers and the Hidden Network 8:00 Could It Infect Us? 9:47 Why Is Ellie Immune? 10:53 Your Turn 📚 Sources Fredericksen et al. 2017, PNAS (3D imaging of zombie ants): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... Hughes et al. 2011, BMC Ecology (death grip, solar noon, Thailand): https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6785-11-13 Hughes, Wappler & Labandeira, Biology Letters (48-million-year-old Messel leaf scars): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... Robert & Casadevall 2009, Journal of Infectious Diseases (body heat vs fungi): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19827... CDC: About Candida auris: https://www.cdc.gov/candida-auris/abo... WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List (2022): https://www.who.int/publications/i/it... Warner Bros. Discovery Press, The Last of Us season 1 viewership: https://press.wbd.com/na/media-releas... Naughty Dog, The Last of Us 10th anniversary (sales): https://www.naughtydog.com/blog/the_l... Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0, CC BY 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 2.0, CC BY 2.5, CC BY-SA 3.0, Public domain, CC BY 3.0, CC BY-SA 2.5, CC0) – by: Pat Loika, Світлана Шахнович, КНУТД, керівник Євгенія Романюк, PerytonMango, Kiri Karma, Kai, David P. Hughes, Maj-Britt Pontoppidan, Miguel Discart, Dean Takahashi, AnnaTheRed, Gage Skidmore, Denis Zabin, Official GDC, Bea Phi, GabboT, Harald Krichel, Christian Scheckhuber, Biólogo de Pracinha, London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company (active 1855-19, Jake Nitta, Jonghyun Park, Bealeiderman, Yathumon M A, Aloony loon, Célio Moura Neto, This image was created by user walt sturgeon (Mycowalt) at M, CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, josef knecht, JensKunstfreund, Richard Bartz, Munich Makro Freak, AfroBrazilian, Bildspende von D. Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa, Veröffentlichung u, Eveline van der Jagt, Thomas Hahmann, pjt56 -- If you use the picture outside Wikipedia I would a, Zeynel Cebeci, AnemoneProjectors ( talk ), Hu K, Johnson J, Florens L, Fraunholz M, Suravajjala S, DiLu, see Source, The Lilac Breasted Roller, James St. John, Bernard Dupont, PopTech, Pikawil from Laval, Canada, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, George Chernilevsky, Timothy A. Peden, TB0815, Rosser1954, Shawn Lockhart, Phancanhtrinh, mushroomclinicaltrials.com, Fumikas Sagisavas, Matej Frančeškin, Anagoria. Music: “Unanswered Questions” – Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) Music: “Comfortable Mystery” – Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) Music: “Undaunted” – Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) Full credits for every photo (title, author, license): see the "Photo credits" comments below the video. #TheLastOfUs #Cordyceps #CreatureDecoded #ZombieFungus #Science