Your New Threat and It's a Superfungus.

a reply to: everyonedies

Bat soup, anyone?

a reply to: Oldcarpy2

Well, it looks like we need not fear Cordyceps (for now).

It would take quite a few rounds of genetic changes for this specific fungus to survive in warm-blooded humans. We're a bit too hot for the fungi's liking. That's why common fungal infections humans deal with are typically located on the skin and nails (think athlete's foot and ringworm): It's the coolest part of our body.

It is completely possible that the fungus can jump to a human host, but "what it cannot do is keep its ability to control behavior," says Hughes.

Here comes the natural question: will climate change ever get us to a point where this fungi mutates to thrive in higher temperatures, and survive inside our 98 degree bodies?

Technically it could, yes. Even then, they would have to mutate several more times to overpower our sophisticated immune systems. But we're way more likely to hit disasters of other proportions before ever getting to that point. Hughes says we have much, much bigger fish to fry.

www.menshealth.com...

a reply to: quintessentone

Hey man, you're harshing my doom porn vibe...

Some more doom porn:

BBC News - The Last of Us: Could a fungal pandemic turn us all into zombies?
www.bbc.co.uk...

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
Some more doom porn:

BBC News - The Last of Us: Could a fungal pandemic turn us all into zombies?
www.bbc.co.uk...

Doom porn duly noted. But becoming zombies not on the foreseeable horizon.

We are all regularly exposed to fungi, but they often need a weakened immune system in order to take off. As medicine keeps more of us alive - such as surviving some cancer treatments - there are more of us with weaker immune systems.

Dr Stone says a fungal pandemic would probably take "a different form" to Covid - in both how it spreads and the type of people it infects.

He thinks the threat is there because of "the pure volume of fungi in the environment... climate change, international travel, increasing number of cases and their deep neglect in terms of treatments we have".

Fungi might not turn us all into zombies, but they can cause far more problems than a bit of Athlete's foot.

(From your source)

a reply to: quintessentone

Spoilsport.

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: quintessentone

Spoilsport.

I just like to think we humans are smarter than anything a fungi can throw our way. I may be proved wrong.

a reply to: quintessentone

Nature is smarter than us and we are doing a lot to pish it off right now.

Wouldn't surprise me if it fought back....

there's a fungus among us

a reply to: Salamandy

Been done already!

a reply to: Oldcarpy2

damnit, I was gonna put a disclaimer there too

great muppet show episode with John Denver where they use that line!

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: LABTECH767

Yep. May I be the first to welcome our new fungi overlords?

The largest organism on the planet and I think it's sentient.


www.scientificamerican.com...

a reply to: olaru12

Good post. Humongous fungus!