Одни из нас: Грибок кордицепс

But most probably something similar to influenza.

bət moʊst ˈprɑbəˌbli ˈsəmθɪŋ ˈsɪmələr tɪ ˌɪnfluˈɛnzə.

Because of air travel.

bɪˈkəz əv ɛr ˈtrævəl.

Through the air. Coughing…

θru ðə ɛr. coughing……

Uh, I'm sorry. I meant people. On planes. Uh, that was something you described in your book.

ə, əm ˈsɑri. aɪ mɛnt ˈpipəl. ɔn pleɪnz. ə, ðət wɑz ˈsəmθɪŋ ju dɪˈskraɪbd ɪn jʊr bʊk.

Yes, a new virus in Madagascar, say, could be in Chicago within a matter of weeks. And we end up with a global pandemic. Pan meaning all. The whole world becomes sick all at once.

jɛs, ə nu ˈvaɪrəs ɪn ˌmædəˈgæskər, seɪ, kʊd bi ɪn ʃəˈkɑˌgoʊ wɪˈθɪn ə ˈmætər əv wiks. ənd wi ɛnd əp wɪθ ə ˈgloʊbəl pænˈdɛmɪk. pæn ˈminɪŋ ɔl. ðə hoʊl wərld bɪˈkəmz sɪk ɔl æt wəns.

Hmmm. And Dr. Neuman, you're also an epidemiologist. I presume the prospect of a viral pandemic keeps you up at night as well.

hmmm. ənd ˈdɑktər. ˈnumən, jʊr ˈɔlsoʊ ən ˌɛpəˌdiˌmiˈɑləˌʤɪst. aɪ prɪˈzum ðə ˈprɑspɛkt əv ə ˈvaɪrəl pænˈdɛmɪk kips ju əp æt naɪt ɛz wɛl.

No.

noʊ.

No?

noʊ?

No.

noʊ.

All right, well, that's our show.

ɔl raɪt, wɛl, ðæts ɑr ʃoʊ.

No. Mankind has been at war with the virus from the start. Sometimes, millions of people die, as in an actual war. But in the end, we always win.

noʊ. ˈmænˈkaɪnd həz bɪn æt wɔr wɪθ ðə ˈvaɪrəs frəm ðə stɑrt. ˈsəmˌtaɪmz, ˈmɪljənz əv ˈpipəl daɪ, ɛz ɪn ən ˈækʧəwəl wɔr. bət ɪn ðə ɛnd, wi ˈɔlˌweɪz wɪn.

Uh, but you, Uh, just to be clear, you, you do think microorganisms pose a threat.

ə, bət ju, ə, ʤɪst tɪ bi klɪr, ju, ju du θɪŋk ˌmaɪkroʊˈɔrgəˌnɪzəmz poʊz ə θrɛt.

Oh, in the most dire terms.

oʊ, ɪn ðə moʊst daɪər tərmz.

Bacteria.

bækˈtɪriə.

No.

noʊ.

You like saying no.

ju laɪk seɪɪŋ noʊ.

Yes.

jɛs.

Not bacteria. Not viruses. So?

nɑt bækˈtɪriə. nɑt ˈvaɪrəsɪz. soʊ?

Fungus.

ˈfəŋgəs.

Yes, that's the usual response. Fungi seem harmless enough. Many species know otherwise. Because there are some fungi who seek not to kill, but to control.

jɛs, ðæts ðə ˈjuʒəwəl rɪˈspɑns. ˈfənʤaɪ sim ˈhɑrmləs ɪˈnəf. ˈmɛni ˈspiʃiz noʊ ˈəðərˌwaɪz. bɪˈkəz ðɛr ər səm ˈfənʤaɪ hu sik nɑt tɪ kɪl, bət tɪ kənˈtroʊl.

Let me ask you, where do we get LSD from?

lɛt mi æsk ju, wɛr du wi gɪt ˌɛˌlɛsˈdi frəm?

Where do you get it from?

wɛr du ju gɪt ɪt frəm?

It comes from ergot, a fungus. Psilocybin? Also a fungus. Viruses can make us ill, but fungi can alter our very minds.

ɪt kəmz frəm ˈərgət, ə ˈfəŋgəs. ˌsaɪləˈsaɪbən? ˈɔlsoʊ ə ˈfəŋgəs. ˈvaɪrəsɪz kən meɪk ˈjuˈɛs ɪl, bət ˈfənʤaɪ kən ˈɔltər ɑr ˈvɛri maɪndz.

There's a fungus that infects insects. It gets inside an ant, for example, travels through its circulatory system to the ant's brain, and then floods it with hallucinogens, thus bending the ant's mind to its will.

ðɛrz ə ˈfəŋgəs ðət ˌɪnˈfɛkts ˈɪnˌsɛkts. ɪt gɪts ˌɪnˈsaɪd ən ænt, fər ɪgˈzæmpəl, ˈtrævəlz θru ɪts ˈsərkjələˌtɔri ˈsɪstəm tɪ ðə ant's breɪn, ənd ðɛn flədz ɪt wɪθ hallucinogens, ðəs ˈbɛndɪŋ ðə ant's maɪnd tɪ ɪts wɪl.

The fungus starts to direct the ant's behavior, telling it where to go, what to do, like a puppeteer with a marionette.

ðə ˈfəŋgəs stɑrts tɪ dɪˈrɛkt ðə ant's bɪˈheɪvjər, ˈtɛlɪŋ ɪt wɛr tɪ goʊ, wət tɪ du, laɪk ə pəpəˈtir wɪθ ə marionette.

And it gets worse. The fungus needs food to live, so it begins to devour its host from within, replacing the ant's flesh with its own, but it doesn't let its victim die. No, it keeps its puppet alive by preventing decomposition.

ənd ɪt gɪts wərs. ðə ˈfəŋgəs nidz fud tɪ lɪv, soʊ ɪt bɪˈgɪnz tɪ dɪˈvaʊər ɪts hoʊst frəm wɪˈθɪn, rɪˈpleɪsɪŋ ðə ant's flɛʃ wɪθ ɪts oʊn, bət ɪt ˈdəzənt lɛt ɪts ˈvɪktɪm daɪ. noʊ, ɪt kips ɪts ˈpəpɪt əˈlaɪv baɪ prɪˈvɛnɪŋ ˌdikəmpəˈzɪʃən.

How? Where do we get penicillin from?

haʊ? wɛr du wi gɪt ˌpɛnəˈsɪlən frəm?

Fungus.

ˈfəŋgəs.

Oh…

oh……

Dr. Schoenheiss, you're in distress.

ˈdɑktər. schoenheiss, jʊr ɪn dɪˈstrɛs.

Fungal infection of this kind is real, but not in humans.

ˈfəŋgəl ˌɪnˈfɛkʃən əv ðɪs kaɪnd ɪz ril, bət nɑt ɪn ˈjumənz.

True, fungi cannot survive if its host's internal temperature is over 94 degrees. And currently, there are no reasons for fungi to evolve to be able to withstand higher temperatures. But what if that were to change? What if, for instance, the world were to get slightly warmer?

tru, ˈfənʤaɪ ˈkænɑt sərˈvaɪv ɪf ɪts hoʊsts ˌɪnˈtərnəl ˈtɛmpərəʧər ɪz ˈoʊvər 94 dɪˈgriz. ənd ˈkərəntli, ðɛr ər noʊ ˈrizənz fər ˈfənʤaɪ tɪ ɪˈvɑlv tɪ bi ˈeɪbəl tɪ wɪθˈstænd haɪər ˈtɛmpərəʧərz. bət wət ɪf ðət wər tɪ ʧeɪnʤ? wət ɪf, fər ˈɪnstəns, ðə wərld wər tɪ gɪt sˈlaɪtli ˈwɔrmər?

Well, now there is reason to evolve. One gene mutates and an ascomycete, uh, candida, ergot, cordyceps, aspergillus, any one of them could become capable of burrowing into our brains and taking control not of millions of us, but billions of us.

wɛl, naʊ ðɛr ɪz ˈrizən tɪ ɪˈvɑlv. wən ʤin mutates ənd ən ascomycete, ə, ˈkændɪdə, ˈərgət, cordyceps, aspergillus, ˈɛni wən əv ðɛm kʊd bɪˈkəm ˈkeɪpəbəl əv bəroʊɪŋ ˈɪntu ɑr breɪnz ənd ˈteɪkɪŋ kənˈtroʊl nɑt əv ˈmɪljənz əv ˈjuˈɛs, bət ˈbɪljənz əv ˈjuˈɛs.

Billions of puppets with poisoned minds permanently fixed on one unifying goal: to spread the infection to every last human alive by any means necessary. And there are no treatments for this. No preventatives, no cures. They don't exist. It's not even possible to make them.

ˈbɪljənz əv ˈpəpɪts wɪθ ˈpɔɪzənd maɪndz ˈpərmɑˌnɛnˌtli fɪkst ɔn wən ˈjunəˌfaɪɪŋ goʊl: tɪ sprɛd ðə ˌɪnˈfɛkʃən tɪ ˈɛvəri læst ˈjumən əˈlaɪv baɪ ˈɛni minz ˈnɛsəˌsɛri. ənd ðɛr ər noʊ ˈtritmənts fər ðɪs. noʊ priˈvɛntətɪvz, noʊ kjʊrz. ðeɪ doʊnt ɪgˈzɪst. ɪts nɑt ˈivɪn ˈpɑsəbəl tɪ meɪk ðɛm.

So if that happens?

soʊ ɪf ðət ˈhæpənz?

We lose.

wi luz.