This zombie mushroom discovered in Scotland is reminiscent of The Last of Us, but there’s nothing to worry about… yet!

Game news This zombie mushroom discovered in Scotland is reminiscent of The Last of Us, but there’s nothing to worry about… yet!

A few days after the Last of Us Day (on September 26, marking the start of the pandemic in Naughty Dog’s game), media reported the existence of a strange mushroom in Scotland… A mushroom that literally transforms its victims into “zombies”! If the coincidence may send shivers down your spine, don’t worry: this virus is only interested in insects.

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“Gibellula is part of a group of fungi known for transforming their victims into zombies, forcing them to act in a certain way before killing them,” notes Ben Mitchell, an amateur naturalist who unearthed this fungus like no other, in the columns of Times. “It seems to make the spiders move towards the underside of the leaves, before sticking them there to let them die! When they rot, the spores are protected from rain and can easily reach other unsuspecting spiders. It’s a little scary, but it’s a remarkable natural phenomenon.”

A known phenomenon

This is not the first time Gibellula has been seen in Scotland, although it remains extremely rare. In the country, it has only been recorded 10 times in seventy years… This is also not the first time that a mushroom straight from The Last of Us has been observed. The developers themselves of the horror action-adventure game were inspired by a documentary of Planet Earthreleased in 2006 on the BBC. In this one, we can see an ant infected with “Cordyceps”, a “zombie” fungus whose effects are comparable to those of Gibellula.

Since the BBC report, Cordyceps has been reclassified as “Ophiocordyceps”, a group of fungi that paralyze insects. As CNN reports, among the hundred Ophiocordyceps that exist, fewer than 35 exercise “mental control” over their victims. According to experts interviewed by the American site, there is no need to worry that this virus will one day infect humans.

The birth of a myth

That said, it’s always funny to see that some of our favorite video games draw their inspiration from very real phenomena. On the occasion of Last of Us Dayfans of the Naughty Dog game were treated to surprises including the first trailer for season 2 of the series The Last of Us… The opportunity to see Ellie and Joel, respectively played by Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, as well as new characters, like Abby and Dina. This second part will adapt the events of The Last of Us Part 2 and will be released next year (without further details).