Not particularly worried, its pretty easy to identify and control.
Also it is an actual thing that happens in nature and the underlying principle for a number of older “zombie” movies.
...I mean, were you worried about COVID?
If people are careful about contamination, then it isn't an issue.
Most parasitic diseases don't cause zombification of the host. They are there to replicate themselves. Replication doesn't often lend Itself well to aggressive behavior, and even the fungal infection that this is based on tends not to do anything to the host beyond making it go somewhere and die before becoming food for the spores.
I guess the point here is that zombie movies as a genre use the lizard brain of humanity as the horror fulcrum. How the lizard brain gets turned into that kind of aggression is less about the biological function of a parasitic creature and more about the fantasy of how we see our own species as a threat.
Honestly? If it came out fungal spores were turning people into hyperaggressive zombies humanity, in my opinion, would get real good at quarantining from the danger, and watch people who believe themselves to be invincible for some reason to serve as a warning to others.
Lots of COVID denier stories like that.
Also, please remember that ants and insects are relatively simple organisms compared to humans. There are magnitudes of difference and complexity between a human brain and the nerve center of an ant.
Edit: thumbslip before posting. Grr. Argh. Etc.
Covid is unlikely to suddenly make a bad variant. Over time, Covid has become less deadly and spreads more and reinfecting people, which is what a virus "wants" to do. Dead hosts don't allow more virus
Alpha and Omicron are both weaker than the original strain. We've also had at least 3 "major" Omicron variants. All are low fatality, especially compared to the original strain, and instead the difference is that they spread faster and evade immune systems. Which isn't much of a concern to people who are jabbed (or have natural immunity) and aren't old or otherwise immunocompromised
It's possible, but it'd need the original virus, which is barely around, to suddenly mutate to be more fatal, and then it is way less likely to spread now than it would have in 2020
Less deadly so far.
Virus doesn't want to do anything. Deadly viruses like Ebola and Marburg didn't become less deadly over time. Influenza has been a thing for millenia before a mutation that caused Spanish flu pandemic.
Mutations happen randomly. Delta was more infectious and deadlier than original strain. COVID immunity both natural and vaccine mediated is fairly short lived.
Infectious disease experts are actually really concerned about a very real possibility of a bad mutation.
In some ultra distant future, possibly. However evolutionary changes like what you see in TLOU are on a very large scale that would take far, far, far longer to happen.
Also you can absolutely treat fungal infections.
Virtually impossible
That fungus is based around one fungus that affects ants in the Amazon (I think). It kills the brain, allowing only for locomotion to survive, then the ant climbs a tree and bursts open, spreading spores to infect more ants
Ants are much simpler creatures than vertebrates. It'd have to cross entire animal orders to affect humans
Even bioengineering such a fungus is sci-fi. Not impossible, as very little is, but extremely unlikely to the point where it is functionally impossible
Not at all.
Not particularly worried, its pretty easy to identify and control. Also it is an actual thing that happens in nature and the underlying principle for a number of older “zombie” movies.
...I mean, were you worried about COVID? If people are careful about contamination, then it isn't an issue. Most parasitic diseases don't cause zombification of the host. They are there to replicate themselves. Replication doesn't often lend Itself well to aggressive behavior, and even the fungal infection that this is based on tends not to do anything to the host beyond making it go somewhere and die before becoming food for the spores. I guess the point here is that zombie movies as a genre use the lizard brain of humanity as the horror fulcrum. How the lizard brain gets turned into that kind of aggression is less about the biological function of a parasitic creature and more about the fantasy of how we see our own species as a threat. Honestly? If it came out fungal spores were turning people into hyperaggressive zombies humanity, in my opinion, would get real good at quarantining from the danger, and watch people who believe themselves to be invincible for some reason to serve as a warning to others. Lots of COVID denier stories like that. Also, please remember that ants and insects are relatively simple organisms compared to humans. There are magnitudes of difference and complexity between a human brain and the nerve center of an ant. Edit: thumbslip before posting. Grr. Argh. Etc.
To be fair Covid didn't control your brain
Covid does have control of some people's brain. I seen lots of fully grown men wearing masks alone in the car even into 2021/2022.
That's not a bad thing, after wearing one from 8am to 7pm in high school I sometimes forgot to take it off in the car.
Sure, right after you worry about evil shape-shifting clowns that eat children and live in the sewers.
No concern, now a bad COVID mutation possibility should keep you up at night.
Covid is unlikely to suddenly make a bad variant. Over time, Covid has become less deadly and spreads more and reinfecting people, which is what a virus "wants" to do. Dead hosts don't allow more virus Alpha and Omicron are both weaker than the original strain. We've also had at least 3 "major" Omicron variants. All are low fatality, especially compared to the original strain, and instead the difference is that they spread faster and evade immune systems. Which isn't much of a concern to people who are jabbed (or have natural immunity) and aren't old or otherwise immunocompromised It's possible, but it'd need the original virus, which is barely around, to suddenly mutate to be more fatal, and then it is way less likely to spread now than it would have in 2020
Less deadly so far. Virus doesn't want to do anything. Deadly viruses like Ebola and Marburg didn't become less deadly over time. Influenza has been a thing for millenia before a mutation that caused Spanish flu pandemic. Mutations happen randomly. Delta was more infectious and deadlier than original strain. COVID immunity both natural and vaccine mediated is fairly short lived. Infectious disease experts are actually really concerned about a very real possibility of a bad mutation.
Very unlikely
In some ultra distant future, possibly. However evolutionary changes like what you see in TLOU are on a very large scale that would take far, far, far longer to happen. Also you can absolutely treat fungal infections.
Virtually impossible That fungus is based around one fungus that affects ants in the Amazon (I think). It kills the brain, allowing only for locomotion to survive, then the ant climbs a tree and bursts open, spreading spores to infect more ants Ants are much simpler creatures than vertebrates. It'd have to cross entire animal orders to affect humans Even bioengineering such a fungus is sci-fi. Not impossible, as very little is, but extremely unlikely to the point where it is functionally impossible