Explainer: Can a fungus harm humans en masse? Can it even turn us into zombies? And what do we have to fight back with?
The year is 2023. The world is gripped by a pandemic. A small group of people weave their way through a ruined city. They step into an abandoned building, hear a noise – a strange, inhuman clicking. Instantly, they know they are near a person infected with the plague that has killed their world – a fungus that takes over the brain of its human hosts, turning them into shambling monsters. This creature lurches past them, cauliflower-like growths over its eyes – but its ears work very well.
Can a fungus harm humans en masse? Can it even turn us into zombies? And what do we have to fight back with?Fungi are everywhere in the world, in the air, in the soil and in our bodies. Scientists used to put them in the same class as plants, but their complexity and strangeness made them a poor fit – so now they get to be their ownThey are culinarily important; we eat mushrooms and truffles, and use yeast to make bread, wine, beer and cheese. In humans, they help and harm.