When you hear the word 'cordyceps' - one might shudder at the mental visual of a fungus-brained humanoid. After all, it was a real condition (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) occurring in ants that inspired the infection in The Last of Us.

"The clicker" (Credit: HBO Max)
You can add a new fear to the list, as a similar parasite was discovered in spiders located in Northern Ireland. The zombie-spider fungus, entitled G. attenboroughii (after Sir David Attenborough) was originally discovered in 2021 during the filming of BBC's Winterwatch in a gunpowder storeroom at Castle Espie. As reported by LiveScience, the parasite infects spiders while they're still alive. It causes a fluffy white fungus to accumulate on their bodies and has a range of 'zombie-like' effects as it takes over its host.

The infection stage of G. attenboroughii. (Credit: Tim Fogg)
In a study published January 24th, G. attenboroughii was officially confirmed as a new species. Similar to the zombie-ant fungus, the infection works by penetrating the host's body, producing toxins to kill said host, while releasing antibiotics to preserve the corpse while extracting nutrients. From there, under the right conditions, the fungus eventually grows long structures to spread spores and reproduce. Leading to disturbing visuals such as that pictured below:

Clusters of fungus releasing spores in the final stage of reproduction (Credit: CABI)
The 'zombie' label comes from how the fungus hijacks the spider's behavior before killing it. In the example at Castle Espie, the fungus altered the (cave dwelling orb) spider's natural instincts, forcing it out of its dark lair and into an exposed area. After which, the fungus has an increased chance of spreading spores through air currents after the spider dies. This parallels the zombie-ant fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) which forces ants to climb high before dying to maximize the spread of spores.
Other behavioral effects include 'delayed death' (keeping the host alive until it is in an ideal position for spore release). As well as 'corpse control' - preserving the spider's body using antibiotics to prevent it from decomposing before extracting nutrients. These conditions do not literally 'reanimate' the dead spider. Rather, they effectively turn it into a spore-spreading puppet before consuming it. An arguably scarier distinction.

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, as observed in ants (Credit: Bernard Dupont / Wiki Commons)
However, it's important to note that the fungus is host-specific: meaning, its infection process is highly specialized to spider-specific physiology. In fact, study lead author Harry Evans emphasized that the fungus is a "medicinal treasure chest", with plenty of valuable insights that can be applied to human medicines.
So unless people are walking around with radioactive spider DNA, there's no risk of a human infection like in The Last of Us. At worst, you'll just rest a little uneasy knowing that this phenomenon exists.