Episode 176 – The Cordyceps-isode Superduperstitious

It’s a whole episode about the biology of The Last of Us in an attempt to tap into the zeitgeist! What’s the deal with Cordyceps? Could this happen in real life? Are we doing SEO right??

*Originally scheduled for release BEFORE the start of our whole March Madness series
EPISODE LINKS
All-purpose show links: https://superduperstitious.com/links
Four Phantoms: https://www.fourphantoms.net/
FILL OUT YOUR MARCH MADNESS BRACKET HERE: https://superduperstitious.com/march-madness
Sources
Basic fungal biology: http://bit.ly/3ZRi4ie
Cordyceps controlling a cicada: https://youtu.be/FAVAVHAptyQ
Cordyceps controlling a beetle: https://youtu.be/EBQNpyAdmfc
Entomophthora muscae example: https://www.flickr.com/photos/anxoresua/6867594070
Entomophthora muscae and its released spores: https://bit.ly/3EV6pXJ
Entomophthora muscae range map: https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20m?kind=Entomophthora+muscae
Snail with nematode parasite (PRETTY GROSS): https://youtu.be/Go_LIz7kTok
Parasitic barnacle: https://youtu.be/sCvTHrzI-Sk
Body temperature vs. fungi: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19827944/
Climate change is selecting for heat-resistant fungi: https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/mBio.00061-10
Climate change is increasing fungal infections: https://www.wired.com/story/fungi-climate-change-medicine-health/
Not a lot of medical solutions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6549129/
We breathe a lot of spores and it’s okay: http://bit.ly/3JusTkR
Most fungi aren’t infectious: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5453709/
No spores for the show: http://polygon.com/entertainment/23562421/last-of-us-cordyceps-spores-tv-show-hbo

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