The Last of Us is the newest overnight sensation in zombie-centric programming. HBO's latest entry into the canon is based on the popular video game of the same name and offers a novel twist: its flesh-eating undead are fueled by fungi. The show’s fictional 'shrooms are not unlike real-life parasitic species of cordyceps and ophiocordyceps that kill ants and hijack their dead bodies, creating, essentially, zombie ants. In the pilot episode, which aired on January 15 and has since been viewed by millions, global warming causes fungi that otherwise wouldn’t survive at certain temperatures to evolve. The evolved fungi then infect and kill humans and mobilize the corpses to attack other healthy humans so that the 'shrooms can further spread their spores. It’s a terrifying premise, but one that couldn’t *actually* happen in real life… right?

According to reporting by BBC News, this is not something we truly need to fear (phew!). Experts quoted in the report say human body temperatures are too warm to foster fungi, and human nervous systems are far more complex than those of ants, which makes them much harder to hijack. Additionally, parasitic 'shrooms that exist today evolved over centuries to be able to infect specific insect species. It’s unlikely they’d be able to make the leap to humans anytime soon.

This doesn’t mean, however, that there’s nothing to fear from fungi. While certain 'shrooms are responsible for life-saving and life-changing medicines—think penicillin and psilocybin—there are several harmful species of fungus among us as well. (Not to freak you out, but one of them, mucormycetes, is a flesh-eating fungi that attacks the face!) Some experts believe immune systems weakened by COVID-19 infections may be more vulnerable and hospitable to fungi infections going forward, so there is some cause for concern.

It’s not unusual for the natural world to act as a double-edged sword in this way. Just as many things in our environment can harm us as can heal us, and our favorite organisms ('shrooms, of course!) are no exception. While this undeniable reality may be of cold comfort for the pandemic-weary, at least The Last of Us—which is excellent TV—can be enjoyed as pure escapist fiction given that no fungus, friend or foe, is likely to zombify humans anytime soon.