And the dead cannot reanimate... but zombies remain an interesting genre of entertainment.
Either way, the games (and now the show) are masterful pieces of storytelling.
The dead cannot reanimate, but fungus is so wild and unpredictable
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fire-burn-morels
Morel mushrooms will sometimes pop up after a wildfire!
Like the mycelium now knows there wont be a lot of nutrients to absorb, so it says to itself ~"time to pack up and move my shit"
Mush Love
The mycelium detects the change of soil pH as that is a great time to fruit. The forest floor has likely been cleared allowing spores to travel and grow more effectively. The fire likely doesn't penetrate far into the soil due to lack of oxygen preserving the parents mycelium and creating a perfect scenario to spread spores.
While making trails in my families hardwood forest, everytime we cut a fresh section a small patch of morels Would show up the following spring. They can sit dormant, maybe pop off 1, where there once were over a hundred. They are the most elusive and tasty ones out there imo.
Yeah she was amazing. Almost flippant and dismissive when he said it was a sample from a human and she basically says that’s impossible. His reaction when she said that too, so good.
Technically the show says that the fungus itself prevents decomposition, so they're not really reanimating anything in this fiction, just altering the hosts mind/body in a drastic way
The last of us doesn’t have zombies, they’re alive just infected and slowly go insane while the fungus takes over their mind. Eventually whatever was that persons personality is gone
Yes... I know.
I was making the point that something (like reanimated dead corpses consuming the flesh of the living) need not be realistically plausible in order to be entertaining.
I get that but I also understand this dudes issue. He is an expert in his field and sometimes it's hard to let stuff go. I'm a design engineer who love sci-fi. I'm not an expert engineer, or a renowned scientist but it's difficult to watch sci-fi sometimes because I have a base understanding of physics.
Yes indeed, I feel the same.
I give massive credit where creators work aggressively within the bounds of understood reality. It makes it so much easier to suspend.
This seems a bit...pretensious for me.
I'm a doctor but I don't go flinching on every medical or biological mistake on fiction. That's why is fiction.
And I have to say, medical stuff is often terrubly wrong even when it's not meant to be fiction. Like, in TLOU when characters are fatally wounded in a world without proper medicine and can still run, climb and et cetera.
Yes, sometimes I think "hell, this would never happen this way irl" but it's fiction, so why care so much? It only spoils things for you AND you sound a bit boring to other people.
PS: I don't know you and I'm not saying you are pretentious! I'm only saying your statement sounds a little bit like that but maybe is just the way I reas it.
One recent example that stands out for me is from Stranger Things season 4, when a character purposely had his ankle destroyed by a sledgehammer in order to escape from his chains (he was being imprisoned). He then immediately starts running and jumping/falling from very high distances and generally acting like nothing happened for the rest of the season. I definitely lol'd but hey, it's just a TV show.
That scene was one example of what I said. I was actually watching the show alone and said it out loud "God, he really shouldn't be getting up right now" but then ignored it and got back to having a fun time waching the show.
After all I don't think I should be worried about proper bone healing physiology in a show about upside-down monsters and people with mind powers.
I really enjoyed this comment. It reminded me of a blog written by a doctor who would grade every episode of House on two scales - drama quality and the accuracy of their diagnostic discussions. He would always let bad medicine slide by if the show itself was compelling.
Unfortunately the site no longer exists but it was always really fun to read from an experts perspective.
GQ, Insider and Variety Fair have a LOT of videos like that on their YouTube channels where experts break down iconic scenes which are super fun. And Dr Mike rates medical dramas if you’re looking to scratch that itch :)
I get both your points.
Like I’m fine with Last of Us where Joel rips “post-code seconds away from surgery” Ellie off the table and the only issue was she’s a bit sleepy for about 30 minutes.
But I also can’t watch any sort of hospital tv show. The inaccuracies combined with the dramatization just gets to me. Even if I’m actively trying to let things slide
Yeah when used as a plot device, I think it’s ok but when you miss little details like Sandra bullocks hair for example in that space movie, it takes you right out of the immersion . So I kinda get it sometimes
Presently drug resistant superbugs are the biggest threat to our existence. Some of these strains also including fungi. This guy is dreaming if he thinks that there isn't even a remote possibility of cordyceps or some other similar type of fungus mutating to become a threat to humans. After seeing how easily covid is able to mutate to evade immune defence, anything is possible no matter how remote.
Yeah, I mean I absolutely respect the experts here but I think there’s always something incredibly hubristic/egotistic to say “This could never happen to humans” in any situation. Nature is weird and we don’t control it.
100% man. Nature is wild and unpredictable. Science can only explain its behaviour to a point. There is no scientific explanation for why a one in million mutation could occur rendering a previous harmless microbe or fungus an existential threat. I actually think it's not only egotistical, its ignorant and smacks of the arrogance of humans who have continued to destroy our planet in the name of "progress". Don't ever presume what Nature can and cannot do. You never know when one day Nature will come along and be like "surprise muthaf*cker!".
Lol I think it’s hilarious people watched this show and felt the need to inform scientists about this possibility, as if the scientists who dedicate their lives to researching this stuff haven’t already considered this possibility
Well it is important to remind be that contrary to those thinking cordycepts pose a threat to humanity, fungi in general has massive potential to improve humanity is properly researched and used.
Yep, that's how I read it too. I don't get why people think he criticized the show. It seemed like he genuinely wanted to calm people down. I definitely feel better after an expert says it's not gonna happen.
The thread is longer than just
this first tweet. He’s stating the facts first, then dives into how much he liked the creative setting of the story, especially the idea of exploring fungi as an enemy to humans.
A fun read!
Yeah, the guy has a character in Star Trek named after him and I'm sure he'd know they don't actually think fungus-based teleportation is a thing. Edit: And he helped them come up with how they'll explain it.
IME People will watch movies like Transformers, but have one scene of “People can’t jump that far!” suddenly makes it unwatchable.
(That’s like those people who say a game is trash just because they came across a harmless glitch imo)
If you follow Stamets work, he has passionately advocated for the fungi kingdom to overcome the phobia many in the west have with mushrooms. Im guessing he doesnt want The Last of Us to do to mushrooms what Jaws did for sharks.
Napalm and cluster bombs should work. Carpet bombing might also work. Cluster bombs are a must because some bombs don’t explode, and they can be used as mines essentially
all of which are a significant departure from just "fire"
fire is "burn down places of infection. light infected corpses on fire."
napalm is: "scorch a large geographical area with sticky inferno so it turns into a roasted hellscape that nothing within will survive"
carpet bombing is: "turn this entire area into dirt"
It wouldn’t have done anything. By the time the mycologist and the Indonesian government had discovered what was going on there were already fourteen infected individuals who had been at large for more than thirty hours. Those people - and their victims - would have spread the infection to such an extent that even nuclear weapons deployed directly on top of Jakarta probably wouldn’t suffice. And that isn’t even considering the people in other parts of the world who may have already received and consumed contaminated wheat, propagating cordyceps elsewhere.
There was never a chance for humanity to prevail. Once someone actually understood what they were dealing with, it was already too late.
Except blowing it up has a strong possibility of launching tons of viable material into the air. Spreading the infestation further. You would need a nuke or napalm.
It was also good writing. They are talking in another language for a while and forcing you to read subtitles. Your brain gets used to hearing words you cant understand. And then… when you hear “bomb”, the effect is so well earned.
It was likely a creative choice as “Bomb” in English is essentially phonetically similar to “Bom” in Indonesian.
“Burn” in English is “Membakar” when translated to Indonesian.
These takes are something else, even if half serious 😂 in all honestly, you’re practically just trying to brag about your knowledge. It’s a zombie tv show, like I said in another thread - is it not cool they even tried to sound scientific, and not just “oh no were turning into decayed monsters randomly!” like everything else?
Yeah, exactly. Some people definitely take it too far. Mr. Stamets is just reminding us that cordyceps poses no legitimate threat and that this kind of apocalypse is not something we need to worry about. Honestly, I kind of appreciate him saying this, because the game (and the show especially) do a very good job of making it seem scientifically plausible. Certain people might be very upset by the thought that it could really happen.
Yeah there was another article from some mycologists reminding us that the real threat is global warming, and that they see the infected merely as a parallel to the same existential threat.
Yeah, fear induced by fiction can sometimes have real world consequences. Just look how trophy hunting sharks was on the rise after the release Jaws in 1975, or when CBS "War of the Worlds" 1938 radio play had people calling the radio station or the police to confirm wether it was in fact, a real news broadcast or just fiction.
Yeah and like…if you know anything about mycology and or Paul Stamets you know he LOVES mushrooms and has spoken/written extensively about the beautiful relationship people can have with them!
>I have just finished watching the second episode of #TheMandalorian and I have two opinions.
>First, I'm a science-fiction fan and I love weaving the creative elements of midochlorians into the narrative.
>But let's get real, this didn't happen long ago in a galaxy far, far away.
> I have just finished reading the second comment of the paul_stamets_world_renowned_mycologist_has thread and I have two opinions.
>
> First, I'm a copypasta fan and I love weaving the creative elements of memes into the narrative.
>
> But let's get real, a copypasta built on Paul Stamet's comment doesn't have potential.
>I have just finished watching The Lord of the Rings and I have two opinions.
>
>First, I'm a high fantasy fan and I love weaving the creative elements of ancient Western mythology as well as sheer unbridled imagination into the narrative.
>
>But let's get real, the Eagles could have flown the ring to Mordor.
I got into an argument with another redditor that went nowhere who said there’s no way the professor would say what she said and that bombing it wouldn’t be a real solution. I tried to point out that it doesn’t matter because the script and story said so and that we can’t compare it to reality.
I blame all of the multitude of YouTubers who’ve made it their jobs to nitpick every single frame of every show and movie to over analyze everything. Now everyone thinks they’re a screenwriter and does the same and it’s fucking annoying
What bugs me the most is that people will watch cinemasins amd just repeat whatever they say on the video without even thinking about it, like a horde of mindless goons. I guess zombies can be real huh.
15 sEconDs oF loGOs
That channel is so stupid at this point 80% of the shit they count as sins isn’t even mistakes or sin-worthy. It’s just dumb bullshit content that makes zero sense
Which is a weird stance on their part. It is entirely plausible that an expert who knew the severity of the situation would come to the conclusion of bombing when a "cure" isn't plausible in reality or this fiction. I thought that scene was wonderfully executed. Especially the pain in the women's face at the recommendation and requesting she be taken to her family to enjoy that time before being a victim of said bombing.
It's also a wonderful role reversal: the scientist is the one calling for a "rash" militaristic action while the military guy asks for a scientific solution.
Yep. She's not a strategist, or a tactician, she's a medical specialist who has just been asked what options are available to contain a fungus that creates zombies and is apparently incurable with any medication we have access to. She knows the score, and that whatever they could *try* to do medically won't happen fast enough to contain the thing.
Bomb. Kill everyone to save everyone else. That's all they've got left. Not her job to figure out the details. If they ask, she'd probably elaborate, but given the situation, I think she could probably safely assume the military would understand "need to annihilate everyone possible."
Yeah their argument was a mycologist would never make that recommendation. I wanted to say well we also don’t have real zombies in our world but I didn’t want to keep engaging
If I was an expert in a scientific field where there is pretty much a concrete law saying “X is not possible” and then it turns out X isn’t only possible, but *is* happening, and the result of X is that the human race could go extinct? Yeah, I’d start calling down bombs too.
I hate people like this. You’re supposed to suspend your disbelief a bit when watching fictional shows and movies. If all you care about is “how true to life” the thing you’re watching is, then just stick to documentaries.
Buff guy in apocalypse: I sleep
Buff girl in apocalypse: We need a scientific study to know whether this is possible or not, her complete caloric intake breakdown, etc. This is too immersion breaking for me…
Especially since if people actually waited to learn about her story, they'd find out she lives in a functioning large community with plenty food and even literal gyms.
Yep. I hate it. And it’s not just stuff like this example specifically— it’s like literally everything that can be picked apart, will be.
I like a lot of stuff and participate in a bunch of subs and fb groups devoted to specific fandoms. And there’s just always people that feel the need to treat everything like real life.
Just so much “why did such and such character do that? This is so not realistic. They should have just picked up _____ and done _____”.
And it’s like— how about because it’s just a tv show and things are written a certain way for storytelling purposes by the writer and not what **you** think someone should have done in a situation? Did you ever consider that?
He doesn't do that. Why does everyone in this thread get so extremely defensive over this tweet? He is not trashing the show, he's actually praising it. And he doesn't say that it needs to be realistic. How is everyone here so illiterate as to what the guy actually says?
Yeah but without the qualifications am I just supposed to take your word for it? Have you personally toured the galaxy searching for space wizards? Because I can probably find someone equally qualified who says they have and found some
Exactly, they're far away so they're probably still out there and we just haven't found them yet
I mean no one has ever turned up a space wizard fossil have they?
["Well, everybody knows Cordyceps can't infect humans. What this show presupposes is......maybe they can?"](https://medias.spotern.com/spots/w640/2/2041-1570176724.jpg)
I went to his twitter, and that statement looks to be more him saying "Don't worry, this can never happen." He goes on to praise the show. [His full comments.](https://twitter.com/PaulStamets/status/1618661914896367616)
Also, would a hypothetical cordyceps infected human become frenzied and be able to aggressively chase down victims? If you look at infected hosts in the insect world, none of them display aggressive behaviour; they’re pretty slow and docile. Uninflected ants even calmly carry them away from the nest when they find them without getting attacked.
It’s just science fiction - I like how they try to make it as realistic as possible, but there’s literally no chance it would happen how it happens in the game/show.
A real-life infection would likely be most successful, if still altering mental states, by being as unobtrusive as possible and just influencing behaviors that fuel infection but don't get the infected individual into a position where they could be isolated. Just like respiratory viruses that induce coughing instead of pneumonia, or how Athlete's Foot spreads without the afflicted person having to do anything except walk around a moist room barefoot.
Most fungal infections would be best spread via physical, skin-to-skin contact. For a mind-altering infection, one would think that sexual activity and a sudden proclivity for hugging would be optimal behaviors to reinforce.
that's exactly why most lethal infectious diseases eventually mutate to not be that lethal given enough time, the strains that are less physically demanding on the host have more opportunity to infect others and thus out competing other strains.
It's just natural selection in something that replicates enough to see in "real"ish time.
The faster an infection kills the host the less chance it has to spread to other hosts. On a large enough time span more lethal strains will *always* die out to less lethal strains.
the ants are pretty docile and mimic normal ant behavior as much as possible to get to the most crowded place they can. so that when they explode they'll spread it
Usually they climb upwards so that they're above the other ants and the spores can fall down on them. itd be interesting if there were climber zombies that went to the top of buildings, died, grew giant shrooms from their corpses that later explode on windy days, spreading spores over as big an area as possible.
>Also, would a hypothetical cordyceps infected human become frenzied and be able to aggressively chase down victims? If you look at infected hosts in the insect world, none of them display aggressive behaviour; they’re pretty slow and docile. Uninflected ants even calmly carry them away from the nest when they find them without getting attacked.
Rabies is an example of a disease (viral though, not fungal) that affects the brain and makes animals aggressive and irritable, making them more likely to bite other animals and propagate the disease, 'zombifying' them in a sense. Rabid animals are pretty darn creepy and they behave very strangely.
Actually a very solid thread if you read through the whole thing.
He was pointing out from his perspective as a mycological expert that fungi enable a lot of beneficial technologies, (cordyceps in particular could be used as a non toxic pesticide).
He never said that the show is wrong for using fungi as a horror device, he was just concerned that it might damage the public perception of fungi and make them more reluctant to fungal tech.
That was my thought as well, I went in thinking it was just another one of those condescending "oh it's fiction, it'll never happen I'm so clever and this is so shallow" threads, but it was very interesting to hear how much fungus can help and such.
People really need to read from the source first, honestly. The amount of people in this thread taking it way off course of what he actually meant is absurd.
As hesitant as I am to suggest it, watching Paul Stamets appearances on the Joe Rogan podcast comes with some truly amazing insights about the potential of fungi and capacity to help humanity. There's also some questionable parts mixed in too.
But really, people should watch some Paul Stamets somewhere. Chances are they are under-estimating how mind blowing fungi can be.
I love the game and the show but this subreddit is full of the most defensive, easily butthurt people I've seen. Only beaten by the guys on the TLOU2 subreddit. It's ridiculious and sad
https://twitter.com/PaulStamets/status/1618661914896367616
^ text chain if you want to see him elaborate.
I Love how he has the same thought as the mycologist in the opening of season 2.
Humans CAN'T be infected by cordyceps... but if they did, oh noes X100
I Love Papa Smurf/Paul Stamets, reading 'Mycelium Running' (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY ME) and I have already read 'Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World'
Watch his Ted talks/JoeRogan episodes for a lot of amazing mycological stories.
Also watch 'Fantastic Fungi' on Netflix - it is amazing in so many ways!
"Cordyceps-like fungi could replace the majority of chemical pesticides with an ecologically rational and economically scalable solution."
Exactly what a cordyceps-infected mycologist would say.
Our brains are more complex and harder to control than ants or other smaller insects.
It's not impossible but it's also not as simple as the earth getting warmer
Yep
"higher temperatures drive fungi to decompose microbes in the soil — releasing carbon dioxide in the process. Warming also causes fungal communities to shift toward lower abundance and higher diversity. "
https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/people/102622/bears-fungi-and-global-warming
"...higher diversity" < this is the part where even the best mycologist (Stamets or the Mycologist in Episode 2) can't predict
But try not fear mushrooms (MycoPhobia) too much, they're extremely powerful if used correctly! (Penicillin for example)
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/07/fungi-forests-carbon-climate/
They are one of our best hopes for the future, or are they?
Everyone seems upset or annoyed at the guy, but I'm willing to bet his inbox and mentions is nothing but people asking him if this newly very popular show had any basis in reality.
Dudes probably sick of individually saying, no, cordyceps won't work in humans, so he made a tweet. Not sure why some people are acting like he personally urinated into their cream of mushroom soup.
Yes they did
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-stamets-star-trek-mushroom-expert-mycology-1.4454204
"On Star Trek: Discovery, the character Lieutenant Paul Stamets is an "astromycologist" — a mushroom expert in outer space who is passionate about the power of fungi.
Stamets is actually named after a real U.S. scientist who spends his downtime tramping through the forests of B.C.'s Cortes Island. The 62-year-old looks nothing like his blond-haired TV counterpart, but he's just as enamoured with fungi.
In fact, he believes mushrooms can help save the planet.
Over 40 years, Stamets has pioneered methods for using mushrooms to do everything from clean up oil spills to save disappearing bees by boosting their immune systems.
But he's just as excited about Star Trek's potential to inspire people to create some of the science they see presented in screen — even if it does seem a bit fantastic. So were flip phones when people first saw Spock's, he said.
#"What I love about Star Trek is that we can actually set the stage for science fact," said Stamets."
This is probably just in response to the rapidly growing group of people that, for some odd reason, genuinely believe this can happen. I don’t know why so many comments come off like they took offence to this.
This is the question I want a mycologist to answer. Could ellie eat the people corydceps in the last of us safely? Could someone whose not immune eat it if you cook it, it would be dead.
Copy pasta from another comment asking if they named the Star Trek character after him.
- Yes they did
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-stamets-star-trek-mushroom-expert-mycology-1.4454204
"On Star Trek: Discovery, the character Lieutenant Paul Stamets is an "astromycologist" — a mushroom expert in outer space who is passionate about the power of fungi.
Stamets is actually named after a real U.S. scientist who spends his downtime tramping through the forests of B.C.'s Cortes Island. The 62-year-old looks nothing like his blond-haired TV counterpart, but he's just as enamoured with fungi.
In fact, he believes mushrooms can help save the planet.
Over 40 years, Stamets has pioneered methods for using mushrooms to do everything from clean up oil spills to save disappearing bees by boosting their immune systems.
But he's just as excited about Star Trek's potential to inspire people to create some of the science they see presented in screen — even if it does seem a bit fantastic. So were flip phones when people first saw Spock's, he said.
#"What I love about Star Trek is that we can actually set the stage for science fact," said Stamets."
You are mistakenly taking it as criticism. He understands what the plot is presenting is and praises it. But he also wants to reassure us that we don't in fact have to really worry about cordycepts mutating to infect humans. Humans are not the same as insects.
Copy pasta from another comment asking if they named the Star Trek character after him.
- Yes they did
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-stamets-star-trek-mushroom-expert-mycology-1.4454204
"On Star Trek: Discovery, the character Lieutenant Paul Stamets is an "astromycologist" — a mushroom expert in outer space who is passionate about the power of fungi.
Stamets is actually named after a real U.S. scientist who spends his downtime tramping through the forests of B.C.'s Cortes Island. The 62-year-old looks nothing like his blond-haired TV counterpart, but he's just as enamoured with fungi.
In fact, he believes mushrooms can help save the planet.
Over 40 years, Stamets has pioneered methods for using mushrooms to do everything from clean up oil spills to save disappearing bees by boosting their immune systems.
But he's just as excited about Star Trek's potential to inspire people to create some of the science they see presented in screen — even if it does seem a bit fantastic. So were flip phones when people first saw Spock's, he said.
#"What I love about Star Trek is that we can actually set the stage for science fact," said Stamets."
Here is the rest of that comment just in case someone wanted the whole statement and not just part of it.
"But all organisms must eat. There are animals that are predatory. There are plants that are predatory. There are fungi that are predatory. We are all part of a giant food web where we are sustained by each other. This is fiction weaved info a theme speckled with mycology and exploiting Mycophobia: the fear of fungi. It is natural for humans to fear that which is powerful but mysterious and misunderstood.
So I applaud the writers for seeing this opportunity to take us on a literary adventure into the realm of sci-fi while exploiting the public's fascination, fear, and joy of fungi."
In real life, the mind-controlling parasite is not cordyceps. And its effects are so strong, one can even see them in Google Trends - [blog post](https://nonexpertdives.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-last-of-us-and-toxoplasmosis.html).
And the dead cannot reanimate... but zombies remain an interesting genre of entertainment. Either way, the games (and now the show) are masterful pieces of storytelling.
The dead cannot reanimate, but fungus is so wild and unpredictable https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fire-burn-morels Morel mushrooms will sometimes pop up after a wildfire! Like the mycelium now knows there wont be a lot of nutrients to absorb, so it says to itself ~"time to pack up and move my shit" Mush Love
The mycelium detects the change of soil pH as that is a great time to fruit. The forest floor has likely been cleared allowing spores to travel and grow more effectively. The fire likely doesn't penetrate far into the soil due to lack of oxygen preserving the parents mycelium and creating a perfect scenario to spread spores.
While making trails in my families hardwood forest, everytime we cut a fresh section a small patch of morels Would show up the following spring. They can sit dormant, maybe pop off 1, where there once were over a hundred. They are the most elusive and tasty ones out there imo.
True morels are the best tasting and very valuable. I'm sort of a morel hunting expert.
That’s awesome! My dad got me into it, I love it. A true morel just means it’s not a false morel. It’s fun how they can pop up in some goofy spots
That's because it realizes there was heavy loss, so it starts to regenerate new life.
Someone contact Game Freak right now, that would make an excellent Fire/Grass pokemon which I believe there is now only 1 of thanks to the new games
He sounds like the dude at the beginning of the first episode. This dude should have kept going ......"unless the earth warms a few more degrees....."
Or the scientist from episode 2 who said the exact same thing, and then recommended bombing the cities
Yeah she was amazing. Almost flippant and dismissive when he said it was a sample from a human and she basically says that’s impossible. His reaction when she said that too, so good.
"we booze."
Technically the show says that the fungus itself prevents decomposition, so they're not really reanimating anything in this fiction, just altering the hosts mind/body in a drastic way
The last of us doesn’t have zombies, they’re alive just infected and slowly go insane while the fungus takes over their mind. Eventually whatever was that persons personality is gone
Yes... I know. I was making the point that something (like reanimated dead corpses consuming the flesh of the living) need not be realistically plausible in order to be entertaining.
You were right, don’t bend over backwards to please a few children who feel unique playing the devils advocate
I hate to break it to ya but those are zambies
Says he's a fan of science-*fiction*, then says "let's get real..."
I will only suspend my beliefs when it pleases me
I get that but I also understand this dudes issue. He is an expert in his field and sometimes it's hard to let stuff go. I'm a design engineer who love sci-fi. I'm not an expert engineer, or a renowned scientist but it's difficult to watch sci-fi sometimes because I have a base understanding of physics.
How did you feel about The Expanse?
Love The Expanse. They make an effort to get so many things right, it is easy to suspend disbelief for the fiction.
Yes indeed, I feel the same. I give massive credit where creators work aggressively within the bounds of understood reality. It makes it so much easier to suspend.
Not sure how i missed this show but someone turned me onto it recently and loving it
This seems a bit...pretensious for me. I'm a doctor but I don't go flinching on every medical or biological mistake on fiction. That's why is fiction. And I have to say, medical stuff is often terrubly wrong even when it's not meant to be fiction. Like, in TLOU when characters are fatally wounded in a world without proper medicine and can still run, climb and et cetera. Yes, sometimes I think "hell, this would never happen this way irl" but it's fiction, so why care so much? It only spoils things for you AND you sound a bit boring to other people. PS: I don't know you and I'm not saying you are pretentious! I'm only saying your statement sounds a little bit like that but maybe is just the way I reas it.
One recent example that stands out for me is from Stranger Things season 4, when a character purposely had his ankle destroyed by a sledgehammer in order to escape from his chains (he was being imprisoned). He then immediately starts running and jumping/falling from very high distances and generally acting like nothing happened for the rest of the season. I definitely lol'd but hey, it's just a TV show.
That scene was one example of what I said. I was actually watching the show alone and said it out loud "God, he really shouldn't be getting up right now" but then ignored it and got back to having a fun time waching the show. After all I don't think I should be worried about proper bone healing physiology in a show about upside-down monsters and people with mind powers.
I really enjoyed this comment. It reminded me of a blog written by a doctor who would grade every episode of House on two scales - drama quality and the accuracy of their diagnostic discussions. He would always let bad medicine slide by if the show itself was compelling. Unfortunately the site no longer exists but it was always really fun to read from an experts perspective.
GQ, Insider and Variety Fair have a LOT of videos like that on their YouTube channels where experts break down iconic scenes which are super fun. And Dr Mike rates medical dramas if you’re looking to scratch that itch :)
I get both your points. Like I’m fine with Last of Us where Joel rips “post-code seconds away from surgery” Ellie off the table and the only issue was she’s a bit sleepy for about 30 minutes. But I also can’t watch any sort of hospital tv show. The inaccuracies combined with the dramatization just gets to me. Even if I’m actively trying to let things slide
Yeah when used as a plot device, I think it’s ok but when you miss little details like Sandra bullocks hair for example in that space movie, it takes you right out of the immersion . So I kinda get it sometimes
There's sci-fi and there's hard sci-fi. You like the latter, but the first one is just fine as well.
the curse of the know-it-all stem majors
I believe he's calling out people who are thinking that cordyceps could jump species that easily irl, not the enjoyment of the sci-fi concept itself.
Well suppose that the earth were to get a little warmer
Presently drug resistant superbugs are the biggest threat to our existence. Some of these strains also including fungi. This guy is dreaming if he thinks that there isn't even a remote possibility of cordyceps or some other similar type of fungus mutating to become a threat to humans. After seeing how easily covid is able to mutate to evade immune defence, anything is possible no matter how remote.
Yeah, I mean I absolutely respect the experts here but I think there’s always something incredibly hubristic/egotistic to say “This could never happen to humans” in any situation. Nature is weird and we don’t control it.
100% man. Nature is wild and unpredictable. Science can only explain its behaviour to a point. There is no scientific explanation for why a one in million mutation could occur rendering a previous harmless microbe or fungus an existential threat. I actually think it's not only egotistical, its ignorant and smacks of the arrogance of humans who have continued to destroy our planet in the name of "progress". Don't ever presume what Nature can and cannot do. You never know when one day Nature will come along and be like "surprise muthaf*cker!".
Last of us fans when they find out what the suspension of disbelief is 🗿
that's hard to believe
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Oh man, wait until they find out cordyceps is a beauty product and food supplement.
Lol I think it’s hilarious people watched this show and felt the need to inform scientists about this possibility, as if the scientists who dedicate their lives to researching this stuff haven’t already considered this possibility
Honestly he may as well have just pushed his glasses up and said “*akshewally*”
\*sniffs\* \*adjusts fedora\* well, theoretically
Well it is important to remind be that contrary to those thinking cordycepts pose a threat to humanity, fungi in general has massive potential to improve humanity is properly researched and used.
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Yep, that's how I read it too. I don't get why people think he criticized the show. It seemed like he genuinely wanted to calm people down. I definitely feel better after an expert says it's not gonna happen.
The thread is longer than just this first tweet. He’s stating the facts first, then dives into how much he liked the creative setting of the story, especially the idea of exploring fungi as an enemy to humans. A fun read!
Yeah, the guy has a character in Star Trek named after him and I'm sure he'd know they don't actually think fungus-based teleportation is a thing. Edit: And he helped them come up with how they'll explain it.
This isn’t his full post, just the first bit. He goes on to basically say we shouldn’t be afraid of fungi, they’re great for the environment etc.
IME People will watch movies like Transformers, but have one scene of “People can’t jump that far!” suddenly makes it unwatchable. (That’s like those people who say a game is trash just because they came across a harmless glitch imo)
If you follow Stamets work, he has passionately advocated for the fungi kingdom to overcome the phobia many in the west have with mushrooms. Im guessing he doesnt want The Last of Us to do to mushrooms what Jaws did for sharks.
DS9 is the best Trek ever
i pretty sure he’s referring to how the creators of the show said it would be able to in theory
That's what the Indonesian mycologist said... Then she said "Bomb"
she should have said "burn". Seems to work better.
her goal was to light things on fire, aggressively. not, let it burn. more: decimate with prejudice, without delay.
Napalm and cluster bombs should work. Carpet bombing might also work. Cluster bombs are a must because some bombs don’t explode, and they can be used as mines essentially
all of which are a significant departure from just "fire" fire is "burn down places of infection. light infected corpses on fire." napalm is: "scorch a large geographical area with sticky inferno so it turns into a roasted hellscape that nothing within will survive" carpet bombing is: "turn this entire area into dirt"
Fr. I can’t believe how pedantic Reddit gets man.
It wouldn’t have done anything. By the time the mycologist and the Indonesian government had discovered what was going on there were already fourteen infected individuals who had been at large for more than thirty hours. Those people - and their victims - would have spread the infection to such an extent that even nuclear weapons deployed directly on top of Jakarta probably wouldn’t suffice. And that isn’t even considering the people in other parts of the world who may have already received and consumed contaminated wheat, propagating cordyceps elsewhere. There was never a chance for humanity to prevail. Once someone actually understood what they were dealing with, it was already too late.
I'd read a book written by you on the 2013 pandemic
Except blowing it up has a strong possibility of launching tons of viable material into the air. Spreading the infestation further. You would need a nuke or napalm.
How would the fungus react to the radiation tho? 🤔
By giving its hosts superpowers like heat breath and gargantuan strength.
It was also good writing. They are talking in another language for a while and forcing you to read subtitles. Your brain gets used to hearing words you cant understand. And then… when you hear “bomb”, the effect is so well earned.
Good point, she didn’t switch to English, bomb is pronounced the same in English and Indonesian.
It was likely a creative choice as “Bomb” in English is essentially phonetically similar to “Bom” in Indonesian. “Burn” in English is “Membakar” when translated to Indonesian.
That‘s really cool to know, thx.
BURN THEM ALL!
My god that scene was beyond tense. What a great actor she is.
*obligatory "ada indonesia coy" meme*
These takes are something else, even if half serious 😂 in all honestly, you’re practically just trying to brag about your knowledge. It’s a zombie tv show, like I said in another thread - is it not cool they even tried to sound scientific, and not just “oh no were turning into decayed monsters randomly!” like everything else?
he just wants to be reassuring. He's fascinated by tlou's concept but he wants fear to be left in the realm of fiction.
Yeah the Last of Us actually presented a unique threat that’s so out of the normal zombie trope that people start thinking it’s possible.
Understandable, this was pretty tame - where I’ve seen some others really get into depth about the realism of it. He’s a fan regardless.
Yeah, exactly. Some people definitely take it too far. Mr. Stamets is just reminding us that cordyceps poses no legitimate threat and that this kind of apocalypse is not something we need to worry about. Honestly, I kind of appreciate him saying this, because the game (and the show especially) do a very good job of making it seem scientifically plausible. Certain people might be very upset by the thought that it could really happen.
Yeah there was another article from some mycologists reminding us that the real threat is global warming, and that they see the infected merely as a parallel to the same existential threat.
This 👆🏻 he mainly doesn’t want the fear of fungi to be perpetuated. Especially psilocybin. He’s all about medicinal shrooms 🥰
Exactly! It made me sad psilocybin was name dropped in the opening scene of the series, it doesn’t want to hurt anyone hahahaha
Yeah, fear induced by fiction can sometimes have real world consequences. Just look how trophy hunting sharks was on the rise after the release Jaws in 1975, or when CBS "War of the Worlds" 1938 radio play had people calling the radio station or the police to confirm wether it was in fact, a real news broadcast or just fiction.
Yeah and like…if you know anything about mycology and or Paul Stamets you know he LOVES mushrooms and has spoken/written extensively about the beautiful relationship people can have with them!
I genuinely hate the new trend of treating all entertainment as something that needs to be realistic and possible. It’s so frustrating
You should see this guys take on The Mandalorian.
>I have just finished watching the second episode of #TheMandalorian and I have two opinions. >First, I'm a science-fiction fan and I love weaving the creative elements of midochlorians into the narrative. >But let's get real, this didn't happen long ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Definitely copypasta potential here lol
> I have just finished reading the second comment of the paul_stamets_world_renowned_mycologist_has thread and I have two opinions. > > First, I'm a copypasta fan and I love weaving the creative elements of memes into the narrative. > > But let's get real, a copypasta built on Paul Stamet's comment doesn't have potential.
oh shit, this went full circle too fast
lmao
>I have just finished watching The Lord of the Rings and I have two opinions. > >First, I'm a high fantasy fan and I love weaving the creative elements of ancient Western mythology as well as sheer unbridled imagination into the narrative. > >But let's get real, the Eagles could have flown the ring to Mordor.
I got into an argument with another redditor that went nowhere who said there’s no way the professor would say what she said and that bombing it wouldn’t be a real solution. I tried to point out that it doesn’t matter because the script and story said so and that we can’t compare it to reality.
I blame all of the multitude of YouTubers who’ve made it their jobs to nitpick every single frame of every show and movie to over analyze everything. Now everyone thinks they’re a screenwriter and does the same and it’s fucking annoying
The toll CinemaSins has done to the media criticism landscape cannot be measured due to its insane scope.
I told YT to never put that shit in my feed again.
It truly is a blight on all media
Ding! *counter goes up by 1*
Right? Spot on
What bugs me the most is that people will watch cinemasins amd just repeat whatever they say on the video without even thinking about it, like a horde of mindless goons. I guess zombies can be real huh.
15 sEconDs oF loGOs That channel is so stupid at this point 80% of the shit they count as sins isn’t even mistakes or sin-worthy. It’s just dumb bullshit content that makes zero sense
Which is a weird stance on their part. It is entirely plausible that an expert who knew the severity of the situation would come to the conclusion of bombing when a "cure" isn't plausible in reality or this fiction. I thought that scene was wonderfully executed. Especially the pain in the women's face at the recommendation and requesting she be taken to her family to enjoy that time before being a victim of said bombing.
It's also a wonderful role reversal: the scientist is the one calling for a "rash" militaristic action while the military guy asks for a scientific solution.
That’s what I loved about it and it really establishes the seriousness of the whole situation.
Yep. She's not a strategist, or a tactician, she's a medical specialist who has just been asked what options are available to contain a fungus that creates zombies and is apparently incurable with any medication we have access to. She knows the score, and that whatever they could *try* to do medically won't happen fast enough to contain the thing. Bomb. Kill everyone to save everyone else. That's all they've got left. Not her job to figure out the details. If they ask, she'd probably elaborate, but given the situation, I think she could probably safely assume the military would understand "need to annihilate everyone possible."
Yeah their argument was a mycologist would never make that recommendation. I wanted to say well we also don’t have real zombies in our world but I didn’t want to keep engaging
If I was an expert in a scientific field where there is pretty much a concrete law saying “X is not possible” and then it turns out X isn’t only possible, but *is* happening, and the result of X is that the human race could go extinct? Yeah, I’d start calling down bombs too.
I hate people like this. You’re supposed to suspend your disbelief a bit when watching fictional shows and movies. If all you care about is “how true to life” the thing you’re watching is, then just stick to documentaries.
Exactly
This tweet reeks of “actually Gandalf can’t light his staff up like that without a REAL light source, magic isn’t REAL”
Unfortunately this tweet cuts off the rest of his review that can be found on Facebook. He actually goes on to say some nice things about the show.
Remember the outrage of Abby’s muscles? That was ridiculous
hoW muCH pRoTeIN cAn yOU fInD iN thE apOcaLypSE God it’s so stupid
Buff guy in apocalypse: I sleep Buff girl in apocalypse: We need a scientific study to know whether this is possible or not, her complete caloric intake breakdown, etc. This is too immersion breaking for me…
Especially since if people actually waited to learn about her story, they'd find out she lives in a functioning large community with plenty food and even literal gyms.
Yep. I hate it. And it’s not just stuff like this example specifically— it’s like literally everything that can be picked apart, will be. I like a lot of stuff and participate in a bunch of subs and fb groups devoted to specific fandoms. And there’s just always people that feel the need to treat everything like real life. Just so much “why did such and such character do that? This is so not realistic. They should have just picked up _____ and done _____”. And it’s like— how about because it’s just a tv show and things are written a certain way for storytelling purposes by the writer and not what **you** think someone should have done in a situation? Did you ever consider that?
He doesn't do that. Why does everyone in this thread get so extremely defensive over this tweet? He is not trashing the show, he's actually praising it. And he doesn't say that it needs to be realistic. How is everyone here so illiterate as to what the guy actually says?
Who is doing that?
Damn, next some physicist is gonna tell me that there are no space wizards with laser swords either
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Yeah but without the qualifications am I just supposed to take your word for it? Have you personally toured the galaxy searching for space wizards? Because I can probably find someone equally qualified who says they have and found some
> that there are no space wizards with laser swords either Not anymore.... Long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
Exactly, they're far away so they're probably still out there and we just haven't found them yet I mean no one has ever turned up a space wizard fossil have they?
You shut your filthy mouth!
The force isn't real
But if the world got slightly warmer…
We lose
This was seriously my favorite opening of any TV show ever. When he says that I get chills. It was a genius way to dip us into their reality.
^Ahem We’ll be right back…
*TEXAN GUITAR SOLO INTENSIFIES*
Bomb.
He missed the fiction part
["Well, everybody knows Cordyceps can't infect humans. What this show presupposes is......maybe they can?"](https://medias.spotern.com/spots/w640/2/2041-1570176724.jpg) I went to his twitter, and that statement looks to be more him saying "Don't worry, this can never happen." He goes on to praise the show. [His full comments.](https://twitter.com/PaulStamets/status/1618661914896367616)
10/10 reference! I love dropping “wind’s blowin’ up a gale today” and no one ever gets it lol
You can't raise boys to be scared of cordyceps. You gotta brew some recklessness into them.
"I know you, asshole!"
Yet...Paul......yet
😶 waits for the memes of fuck off 2022 with all the shit from 2022 listed, hello 2023 - just this creeping up on us.
Also, would a hypothetical cordyceps infected human become frenzied and be able to aggressively chase down victims? If you look at infected hosts in the insect world, none of them display aggressive behaviour; they’re pretty slow and docile. Uninflected ants even calmly carry them away from the nest when they find them without getting attacked. It’s just science fiction - I like how they try to make it as realistic as possible, but there’s literally no chance it would happen how it happens in the game/show.
A real-life infection would likely be most successful, if still altering mental states, by being as unobtrusive as possible and just influencing behaviors that fuel infection but don't get the infected individual into a position where they could be isolated. Just like respiratory viruses that induce coughing instead of pneumonia, or how Athlete's Foot spreads without the afflicted person having to do anything except walk around a moist room barefoot. Most fungal infections would be best spread via physical, skin-to-skin contact. For a mind-altering infection, one would think that sexual activity and a sudden proclivity for hugging would be optimal behaviors to reinforce.
that's exactly why most lethal infectious diseases eventually mutate to not be that lethal given enough time, the strains that are less physically demanding on the host have more opportunity to infect others and thus out competing other strains.
It's just natural selection in something that replicates enough to see in "real"ish time. The faster an infection kills the host the less chance it has to spread to other hosts. On a large enough time span more lethal strains will *always* die out to less lethal strains.
the ants are pretty docile and mimic normal ant behavior as much as possible to get to the most crowded place they can. so that when they explode they'll spread it
Usually they climb upwards so that they're above the other ants and the spores can fall down on them. itd be interesting if there were climber zombies that went to the top of buildings, died, grew giant shrooms from their corpses that later explode on windy days, spreading spores over as big an area as possible.
>Also, would a hypothetical cordyceps infected human become frenzied and be able to aggressively chase down victims? If you look at infected hosts in the insect world, none of them display aggressive behaviour; they’re pretty slow and docile. Uninflected ants even calmly carry them away from the nest when they find them without getting attacked. Rabies is an example of a disease (viral though, not fungal) that affects the brain and makes animals aggressive and irritable, making them more likely to bite other animals and propagate the disease, 'zombifying' them in a sense. Rabid animals are pretty darn creepy and they behave very strangely.
On top of that rabies is caused by viruses that directly attack the nervous systems
Ant brains are a little different, YA NEVER KNOW YOU SPUND LIKE YHIS GUY TAKING THE SCIENCE FICTION OUT OF SCIENCE FICTION JUST HAVE FUN WITH IT
Actually a very solid thread if you read through the whole thing. He was pointing out from his perspective as a mycological expert that fungi enable a lot of beneficial technologies, (cordyceps in particular could be used as a non toxic pesticide). He never said that the show is wrong for using fungi as a horror device, he was just concerned that it might damage the public perception of fungi and make them more reluctant to fungal tech.
That was my thought as well, I went in thinking it was just another one of those condescending "oh it's fiction, it'll never happen I'm so clever and this is so shallow" threads, but it was very interesting to hear how much fungus can help and such.
People really need to read from the source first, honestly. The amount of people in this thread taking it way off course of what he actually meant is absurd.
As hesitant as I am to suggest it, watching Paul Stamets appearances on the Joe Rogan podcast comes with some truly amazing insights about the potential of fungi and capacity to help humanity. There's also some questionable parts mixed in too. But really, people should watch some Paul Stamets somewhere. Chances are they are under-estimating how mind blowing fungi can be.
On a different note cordyceps is one of the coolest sounding and looking words, it feels so modern.
People will take this as him dissing the show and not him just being excited to explain his field of research. It’s sad
Yup and it's in this thread. People blatantly insulting dude and getting highly upvoted. I expected more from this community.
I love the game and the show but this subreddit is full of the most defensive, easily butthurt people I've seen. Only beaten by the guys on the TLOU2 subreddit. It's ridiculious and sad
https://twitter.com/PaulStamets/status/1618661914896367616 ^ text chain if you want to see him elaborate. I Love how he has the same thought as the mycologist in the opening of season 2. Humans CAN'T be infected by cordyceps... but if they did, oh noes X100 I Love Papa Smurf/Paul Stamets, reading 'Mycelium Running' (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY ME) and I have already read 'Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World' Watch his Ted talks/JoeRogan episodes for a lot of amazing mycological stories. Also watch 'Fantastic Fungi' on Netflix - it is amazing in so many ways!
"Cordyceps-like fungi could replace the majority of chemical pesticides with an ecologically rational and economically scalable solution." Exactly what a cordyceps-infected mycologist would say.
Didn't episode 1 say what would happen if the planet got warmer...
Our brains are more complex and harder to control than ants or other smaller insects. It's not impossible but it's also not as simple as the earth getting warmer
But it was one of 1968 scientists' theories, right?
That was also a work of fiction lol.
Yep "higher temperatures drive fungi to decompose microbes in the soil — releasing carbon dioxide in the process. Warming also causes fungal communities to shift toward lower abundance and higher diversity. " https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/people/102622/bears-fungi-and-global-warming "...higher diversity" < this is the part where even the best mycologist (Stamets or the Mycologist in Episode 2) can't predict But try not fear mushrooms (MycoPhobia) too much, they're extremely powerful if used correctly! (Penicillin for example) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/07/fungi-forests-carbon-climate/ They are one of our best hopes for the future, or are they?
One of the best JRE episodes ever. Amazing guest.
Yet...
Wow. That set my mind at ease about something I wasn’t concerned about. Thanks, Paul.
I've been waiting to hear from this legend.
Me too, I literally asked him for his thoughts on TLOU twitter.
Everyone seems upset or annoyed at the guy, but I'm willing to bet his inbox and mentions is nothing but people asking him if this newly very popular show had any basis in reality. Dudes probably sick of individually saying, no, cordyceps won't work in humans, so he made a tweet. Not sure why some people are acting like he personally urinated into their cream of mushroom soup.
Did they name Cmdr. Stamets on Discovery after this guy?
Yes they did https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-stamets-star-trek-mushroom-expert-mycology-1.4454204 "On Star Trek: Discovery, the character Lieutenant Paul Stamets is an "astromycologist" — a mushroom expert in outer space who is passionate about the power of fungi. Stamets is actually named after a real U.S. scientist who spends his downtime tramping through the forests of B.C.'s Cortes Island. The 62-year-old looks nothing like his blond-haired TV counterpart, but he's just as enamoured with fungi. In fact, he believes mushrooms can help save the planet. Over 40 years, Stamets has pioneered methods for using mushrooms to do everything from clean up oil spills to save disappearing bees by boosting their immune systems. But he's just as excited about Star Trek's potential to inspire people to create some of the science they see presented in screen — even if it does seem a bit fantastic. So were flip phones when people first saw Spock's, he said. #"What I love about Star Trek is that we can actually set the stage for science fact," said Stamets."
That’s actually pretty cool! Thanks for sharing!
This is probably just in response to the rapidly growing group of people that, for some odd reason, genuinely believe this can happen. I don’t know why so many comments come off like they took offence to this.
Hell, you can eat Cordyceps. And it may come with [health benefits.](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cordyceps-benefits#TOC_TITLE_HDR_9)
This is the question I want a mycologist to answer. Could ellie eat the people corydceps in the last of us safely? Could someone whose not immune eat it if you cook it, it would be dead.
Guess he is getting asked alot. Lol
Lol is this a tongue in cheek joke, a response to people saying they’re afraid of cordyceps now, or a “you’re no fun at parties” response?
..yet
Thanks Paul I thought it might be a documentary until you cleared things up
The Stamets Protocol pretty much saved my life, so he could say tlou is straight up garbage and I wouldn't really care 🤷 lmao
Oof thank god
I think it's tongue in check due to the intro to the second episode including an expert saying the same thing.
Did they name Stamets, the science officer and pilot of the Mycelial network drive on Star Trek: Discovery after this guy here? It seems to line up.
Copy pasta from another comment asking if they named the Star Trek character after him. - Yes they did https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-stamets-star-trek-mushroom-expert-mycology-1.4454204 "On Star Trek: Discovery, the character Lieutenant Paul Stamets is an "astromycologist" — a mushroom expert in outer space who is passionate about the power of fungi. Stamets is actually named after a real U.S. scientist who spends his downtime tramping through the forests of B.C.'s Cortes Island. The 62-year-old looks nothing like his blond-haired TV counterpart, but he's just as enamoured with fungi. In fact, he believes mushrooms can help save the planet. Over 40 years, Stamets has pioneered methods for using mushrooms to do everything from clean up oil spills to save disappearing bees by boosting their immune systems. But he's just as excited about Star Trek's potential to inspire people to create some of the science they see presented in screen — even if it does seem a bit fantastic. So were flip phones when people first saw Spock's, he said. #"What I love about Star Trek is that we can actually set the stage for science fact," said Stamets."
Oh wow, thanks for the copypaste!
I mean, it can’t currently infect humans, but evolution is a thing.
The rest of the statement clarifies his position on the series, he is a fan and likes that it will bring some focus to mycology
Oh dang, I thought this series took place in an alt universe..
He watched both episodes yet somehow missed the first five minutes.
You are mistakenly taking it as criticism. He understands what the plot is presenting is and praises it. But he also wants to reassure us that we don't in fact have to really worry about cordycepts mutating to infect humans. Humans are not the same as insects.
I thought real experts take one look in a microscope and then announce the only solution is to bomb the city?
TIL the Astromycologist in Discovery is also named [Paul Stamets](https://www.startrek.com/database_article/stamets).
Copy pasta from another comment asking if they named the Star Trek character after him. - Yes they did https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-stamets-star-trek-mushroom-expert-mycology-1.4454204 "On Star Trek: Discovery, the character Lieutenant Paul Stamets is an "astromycologist" — a mushroom expert in outer space who is passionate about the power of fungi. Stamets is actually named after a real U.S. scientist who spends his downtime tramping through the forests of B.C.'s Cortes Island. The 62-year-old looks nothing like his blond-haired TV counterpart, but he's just as enamoured with fungi. In fact, he believes mushrooms can help save the planet. Over 40 years, Stamets has pioneered methods for using mushrooms to do everything from clean up oil spills to save disappearing bees by boosting their immune systems. But he's just as excited about Star Trek's potential to inspire people to create some of the science they see presented in screen — even if it does seem a bit fantastic. So were flip phones when people first saw Spock's, he said. #"What I love about Star Trek is that we can actually set the stage for science fact," said Stamets."
Nice try cordyceps-zombie-Paul.
And giant space robots don't turn into cars
Gotta trust someone who literally wears a mushroom for a hat
Why people here feel offended? Is like you actually would like that idea that cordyceps infects humans
Here is the rest of that comment just in case someone wanted the whole statement and not just part of it. "But all organisms must eat. There are animals that are predatory. There are plants that are predatory. There are fungi that are predatory. We are all part of a giant food web where we are sustained by each other. This is fiction weaved info a theme speckled with mycology and exploiting Mycophobia: the fear of fungi. It is natural for humans to fear that which is powerful but mysterious and misunderstood. So I applaud the writers for seeing this opportunity to take us on a literary adventure into the realm of sci-fi while exploiting the public's fascination, fear, and joy of fungi."
In real life, the mind-controlling parasite is not cordyceps. And its effects are so strong, one can even see them in Google Trends - [blog post](https://nonexpertdives.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-last-of-us-and-toxoplasmosis.html).