Video about zombie fungus isn’t ‘the truth.’ It’s from HBO’s fictional ‘The Last of Us’

All good science fiction has some basis in reality. "The Last of Us," the critically acclaimed HBO series that follows survivors in a post-apocalyptic world, is no exception.

Now, after three years of baseless conspiracy theories on social media that the government intentionally caused the COVID-19 pandemic, some posts are using the hit show to dupe followers about a new alleged plot.

"Is Next government project fungus?," reads sticker text on a video shared July 16 on Facebook. A caption on the post said, "What government is hiding from us. Watch video and find the truth."

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

In the video, a man speaks about the dangers of fungus to humans on the set of an unnamed TV talk show. Many species of fungus seek not to kill, but to control other species, he said, making them more dangerous than bacteria or viruses. 

When another guest on the show points out that such parasitic fungal infection is not possible in humans, the man speculates that fungus could evolve if the world were to get warmer. 

"Anyone of them could become capable of burrowing into our brains and taking control, not of millions of us, but billions of us," he says. "Billions of puppets with poisoned minds."

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It’s a pretty chilling interview — and if it sounds like such a scenario would make for a good science fiction show, that’s because it already has.

The interview in the Facebook video is actually the opening scene from "The Last of Us," the show that has captivated viewers since it premiered in January. Last week it was nominated for 24 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series.

The show, based on the video game series of the same name, follows survivors of a global disaster that began when a parasitic fungus mutated and infected humans, turning them into horrific-looking zombies seeking only to spread their spores to others to survive.

In the opening scene of the first episode, which you can watch for free on HBO’s website, and also find on YouTube, a TV host interviews two scientists. The first scientist discusses the threat of a global pandemic. When asked for his opinion, the second scientist dismisses concerns about viruses and launches into the alarming warning about fungus.

The creators of the show and video game discussed the cold open on "The Last of Us" podcast. The scene wasn’t in the video game, but series writer and director Craig Mavin explained he modeled it after "The Dick Cavett Show," a popular talk show that first aired in the late 1960s.

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, or cordyceps, the fungus depicted in the show, is a real tropical fungus that infects insects, turning them basically into zombies and using them to spread their spores. There are many different species of the fungus. You can watch how the fungus turns an ant into a superspreader in this clip from BBC’s "Planet Earth."

But humans are not in danger from the fungus, scientists say. The fungus is used in Chinese medicine and can be found in herbal supplements. Human bodies are too warm to be infected with the fungus.

While the interview depicted in the Facebook video may be alarming to viewers who aren’t familiar with the HBO show, it’s only science fiction. The claim is False.