DAILY STAR
A microbiologist has warned that a funghi apocalypse is on its way…and that it could wipe out humankind.
Arturo Casadevall, a professor of molecular microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases, says a Last of Us-type scenario wasn’t a fantasy.
The post-apocalyptic TV series, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, shows what could happen if a mass fungal epidemic wiped out most of humanity.
Those affected by the funghi virus – called cordyceps – are turned into zombie-like creatures, whose bite – or spores – infect humans, turning them into monsters.
Professor Casadevall, 67, who has written more than 1,000 scientific papers and works at the respected Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, USA, said funghi was a ‘real threat’ to humanity.
His new book – out last month and called What If Fungi Win? – highlights the ‘very real possibly’ of a pandemic being caused by fungus.
Speaking this week, he said that a ‘Last of Us’ scenario was ‘not impossible’. He said: “Right now, we don’t know of any fungus that can turn a human into a zombie.
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