Could the 'zombie fungus' from 'The Last of Us' exist in real life?

HBO's TV series "The Last of Us" shows a world ravaged by a "zombie fungus" that has the ability to infect and control people's minds. While human mind–controlling fungi do not yet exist in real life, other species are at risk. Plus, fungal infections in humans are on the rise and expected to worsen as temperatures continue to warm.

Is there such a thing as a 'zombie fungus?'

Yes, there is, but not for humans just yet. The TV show and video game's fungus is based on a real fungus called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, commonly known as the zombie-ant fungus. The fungus is capable of manipulating the insects' behavior. "When environmental conditions are right, the fungus compels the infected insect to climb high, to where the light is just right (often at noon), latch onto a leaf, and wait for the fungi to shoot a fruiting body out of the ant's head, releasing spores that find new hosts and continue the cycle," said National Geographic. "Many ants can be infected at the same time." There are also fungi that affect wasps and spiders. In fact, both genera Ophiocordyceps and Cordyceps (types of fungi), which make up about 750 species, tend to be parasitic, infecting insects and other arthropods.

In February 2025, scientists discovered a new fungal species that creates zombies out of spiders, according to a study published in the journal Fungal Systematics and Evolution. "The fact that a fungus can infect something and then behaviorally alter that animal so that it then helps the fungus spread, I think it's just very intriguing," Dr. Jay Stafstrom, an expert on arachnid sensory ecology and a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University, said to CNN. While it seems scary, there may be some positive real-world applications. "Zombie fungi could help control agricultural pests," said The New York Times. "A chemical produced by a relative of Ophiocordyceps is already used in drugs to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

What about human fungal infections?

Lucky for us, mind control fungi have yet to affect humans because of our high body temperatures. Still, other fungal infections are becoming more common. "A number of fungal species are quite prominent pathogens and kill hundreds of thousands of people every year — it's just the public is not well aware of this," Elaine Bignell, a professor of medical mycology at the University of Exeter, said to Sky News. In Europe, the deadly Aspergillus fungus is spreading and causing severe infections in humans, livestock and plants.

The spread is likely going to get worse. Climate change, which causes extreme weather events and warmer temperatures, can increase fungal infections. In addition, "adaptation to the increasing salinization of our environment via rising sea levels" and "human activity (mining, farming, road salting) are all continual pressures that may deliver an uplift to fungi attempting to grow in human tissues," Bignell said to Newsweek.

The other problem is that fungi are developing resistance to drugs. "Discovering new compounds in nature has become harder as scientists have already spent decades scouring the world for them — and often end up finding the same or similar compounds," said Science. While a fungal pandemic is not here yet, a lack of treatment options and an increasingly suitable habitat put the world at risk. "Scientists are closely monitoring how warming temperatures might make some fungi more resilient and adaptable, possibly leading to increased infections in both humans and crops," said CBS News.