Fungi: Fearsome or Fabulous, or a bit of both?

Could a parasitic fungus that can mutate, infect, and consume humans plunge us into another worldwide pandemic? Recently a couple of us here on Monday drive have been diving into The Last of Us, the HBO series based on the 2013 game of the same name. In the show a certain type of parasitic fungus called Cordyceps takes over the world by infiltrating the brains of infected humans, turning them into flesh eating monster like creatures.

This sounds like a commonly told post-apocalyptic story with the likes of the Walking Dead, however, Cordyceps are very much real.

Professor Michelle Power from the School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie University spoke with us in the studio.