I love The Last of Us game and series, and it got me wondering about how scientifically possible its premise actually is.

In real life, some fungi, like Ophiocordyceps, can infect insects and manipulate their behavior. Could a fungus theoretically evolve to survive inside the human body and affect our brains or behavior in a similar way?

I know humans are very different from insects, especially in terms of body temperature, immune systems, and brain complexity, but I'm curious about whether this is biologically possible in principle, even if it's extremely unlikely.

What evolutionary changes or biological conditions would a fungus need to overcome for something like this to happen? And are there fundamental biological barriers that would make the The Last of Us scenario essentially impossible?