How will the world be destroyed? This question is taken seriously by everyone, from common man to scientists. In such a situation, different kinds of speculations are made, some consider nuclear war to be the reason, while some consider viruses like Covid-19 to be the reason. But a scientist has claimed something different apart from these two. This microbiologist says that the great destruction caused by fungus can wipe out humans.
Arturo Casadevall, a professor of molecular microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases, says that scenes like the ones in the Last of Us series were not a fantasy. The post-apocalyptic TV series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay shows what could happen if a massive fungal epidemic wiped out most of humanity.
The fungal virus is called Cordyceps. People infected by it turn into zombie-like creatures whose bites, or their fine spores, infect humans, turning them into monsters. According to the Daily Star, Professor Casadevall, 67, who works at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, USA, says the fungus is a ‘real threat’ to humanity.
Scientists claim that the world knows very little about molds or fungi, which can become a threat. (Symbolic picture: Canva)
His new book, published last month, What If Fungi Win? highlights the “very real possibility” of a pandemic caused by fungi. “Right now, we don’t know of any fungi that can turn a human into a zombie. But I have no doubt that we will see dangerous new fungal pathogens emerge over time. In fact, we’ve already seen it happen,” he said.
He said that due to climate change, fungi are likely to spread ‘new diseases’ to mankind, “There is growing evidence that some fungi have the potential to spread new diseases that will harm many more humans in an unprecedented way. For this, the fungus or fungal organisms only need to be able to adapt to higher temperatures. Currently, most such organisms cannot survive in temperatures above 37 degrees Celsius. But this limit can be broken. At the same time, fungi are still a very deep mystery for medical science.
Tags: Amazing news, Bizarre news, OMG News, Weird news
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 23, 2024, 13:08 IST
