Ophiocordyceps Zombie Fungus
Species of fungi are probably not very well known to the typical person. The majority of other varieties of mushrooms, aside from the ones we consume, are relatively unknown simply because most people will never need to be aware of them. However, there is a slight exception, and that is when cordyceps is involved. The cordyceps fungus, though it didn't begin in the game by any means, became a pop culture phenomena because of the well-known video game series The Last of Us. The game merely tapped into a popular concept—fungal zombies—to make money.
As articles began to appear explaining how the peculiar life form functioned, including stories in the New York Times and the Atlantic, Ophiocordyceps became somewhat of a darling of digital media and popular culture. If you missed the original wave of publications, the fungus primarily affects ants and other insects. Inside the ant, a fungus spore starts to grow. The fungus will eat as much of the insect's inside as it can without killing it as the ant continues its work.
Once it has expanded sufficiently, the fungus can then project into the ant's head and appendages. It will manipulate the ant's legs to force it to climb to a high position on a blade of grass or another suitable object. The fungus sticks the ant in place after it is in a favorable position and then bursts out of the ant's head. New spores are released to fall to the ground and infect other ants there.
Since the fungus effectively kills the ant but continues to use it and, of course, infects others from the inside out, the similarities to zombies are rather obvious. Fortunately, as far as we know, it's not complicated enough to affect humans in the same way.
