Patricia Kaishian Spoke with NPR’s Science Friday About the Science Behind the Fungi in HBO’s The Last of Us

For mycologists, the recent uptick in fungi interest has come as a welcome surprise. “Mycologists are used to people ignoring fungi for the most part,” Patricia Kaishian, visiting assistant professor of biology, said to NPR’s Science Friday. With the popularity of HBO’s The Last of Us, an adaptation of the video game of the same name, fungus finds itself in the spotlight. The plot of The Last of Us involves an outbreak of fungi-infected zombies, using fungal science related to mycelium and cordyceps to fuel its postapocalyptic story. While the show takes liberties with combining different species of fungi into one, it’s the show’s opening credits that most bothers Kaishian’s “mycology lens,” which features a slime mold, “something that used to be in kingdom fungi, but it’s now recognized as being an amoeba.” For Kaishian, though, fungi isn’t to be feared. With so much still unknown about fungi, she feels hopeful seeing students interested in mycology at Bard: “And I see that interest growing. So I’m hopeful that more mycology programs are going to start to pop up, and there will be more chances to study them and more funding available.”

Post Date: 02-07-2023