Have you ever watched Last of Us, a popular video game and TV series where a fungus turns humans into horrifying mushroom zombies?
Australian experts have discovered another type of fungus named myrtle rust on Lord Howe Island off Australia’s east coast. Lucky for us, it is not the Last of Us situation.
However, myrtle rust still poses a massive threat to a number of iconic plant species that live there and the Island’s ecosystem as a whole.
So, what is this fungus? Where did it come from, and how did it get to Lord Howe Island? What dangers does it pose to Australia’s native plant species?
Tune into the full episode of The Science Briefing below…