The world you know
no longer exists.
Your family, friends,
and neighbors are gone.
Outside, horrific
zombie-like creatures
roam the streets.
And if you breathe
in their spores,
you're one of them.
And if that wasn't bad enough,
human factions have formed
that want you dead...
or worse.
Luckily it's just a fictional
universe of the popular game
and now TV show The Last of Us,
and this could never happen.
Right? Right...?
Could a scenario
like this happen one day?
What if you became infected?
And
how would you survive
in this new world?
This is WHAT IF,
and here's
what would happen if
Cordyceps are fungi
that can take
control of insects
and turn them into zombies.
It happens
when a spore lands on
the insect
and takes root in its muscles.
The spores
then control the insect
and move it to a new location
where they can reproduce.
The insect dies, more
get infected,
and the cycle continues.
And in The Last of Us,
these cordyceps
can infect humans
producing mushroom headed
monstrosities
known as clickers.
Oh, and you also have supplies
like food and water running
at an all-time low,
not to mention a complete
societal collapse.
So how are you going
to get through this?
If we lived in a world
where airborne spores
could infect us,
cities would become
the most dangerous places
you can be.
Have a gas mask handy
because subway tunnels,
underground pathways,
and sewer systems
would quickly become
a breeding ground
for the infected.
Those in rural areas
or small towns
would have the best chance,
as they'd be further
from ground zero and able
to respond
to protect themselves.
And this assumes that
the way to get infected
is through spores, but
even if it is tendrils
like we see in the show,
the same rules would apply.
Now, if you're in a
colder region like the Arctic,
you'd be in luck.
The spores wouldn't
be able to reproduce or survive
due to the cold weather.
Here is where
you would have the best chance
of reestablishing
a civilization.
However, your only enemy
in this world wouldn't
just be the fungus.
In the lawless world
of The Last of Us.
Other human beings
can't be trusted blindly.
Scavengers and raiders
could be waiting
to take advantage of you
to steal your resources.
And your golf clubs.
Now, survivors would be forced
to establish
some form of communication
network to find each other,
as our best chance
of fighting off
a horde of the infected,
as well as gathering food
and resources,
is to form groups.
Small fortified
villages might be built
resembling some form
of civilization, but
it would never be
like it used to.
And this is assuming
you made it this far
without getting infected.
But what if you did happen
to breathe in these spores?
Well, I
hate to break it to
you, but
you're not going to be immune
like Ellie in this scenario.
It's likely
that as the fungus attacks
your body,
you'd begin to feel
some symptoms
you've probably felt before.
A fever, abdominal pain,
weakness and vomiting
are all possible consequences.
You might also notice yourself
getting depressed as
the cordyceps could affect
your dopamine levels.
As time goes on,
the fungus would start to take
over your nervous system.
But it wouldn't happen
in a matter of hours.
I mean,
since you're
a lot bigger than an insect,
it would take months
for the cordyceps
to finally take over.
But as this is happening,
the fungus would grow
throughout your arms and legs.
When it spreads
far enough in your body,
it can gain control over you.
You could try your best
to fight it off,
but once it's inside of you,
there's really nothing
you can do.
I mean, your brain would still
be running,
but you wouldn't have control
over what you do with it.
Yeah,
after all the cordyceps primary
purpose is to spread
as much as it can.
And to do that, it would trap
you inside an enclosed area
so it can grow, spread through
and release more of its spores,
hoping to infect others.
After a couple of weeks,
you would die in that spot,
like The Last of Us’ Shambler.
Ugh I hate that thing.
And now that you're
dead, the cordyceps fungus
can continue to spread,
turning you into what's known
as a fruiting body.
This is when spores
and fungi
would start to come out of you.
Yeah,
they'd come out of everywhere
that doesn't have any hard bone
blocking its way.
And the longer
you stay this way,
the more you'll become a spore
generating monstrosity.
Okay, but how possible is
this, really?
Well, The Last of Us poses
a theory that if fungi evolve
to withstand
higher temperatures,
then it could infect humans.
And in the show,
that very thing happens.
But how likely is this?
Well, right now,
the cordyceps
fungi need a temperature
between 20
and 30 degrees Celsius
in order to survive.
Lucky for you,
the human body
temperature is closer
to 37 degrees Celsius,
meaning that the cordyceps
wouldn't be able to withstand
your body heat. Well phew.
But what if the cordyceps
were able to survive
in higher temperatures?
Well, you'd still be fine.
That's because our bodies
are much more complex
than a simple ant,
and our immune systems
are quite a bit stronger.
Well, great.
It looks like you're immune,
like Ellie, after all.
Yeah.
You can rest easy knowing
you won't turn into a zombie
from these things.
But what if, instead
of turning you into one,
there was a
full on zombie apocalypse?
Yeugh.
Well, that's a story for
another What If.