{"id":20762,"date":"2025-04-10T13:52:50","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T17:52:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/?post_type=story&#038;p=20762"},"modified":"2025-04-14T12:13:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T16:13:11","slug":"after-the-end","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/","title":{"rendered":"After the end"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide breadcrumb-wrapper abut-start abut-end is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><nav id=\"breadcrumbs\" class=\"breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"breadcrumb\"><ol><li class=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/\">ClarkU<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\">ClarkU News<\/a><\/li><li class=\"hide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\">Stories<\/a><\/li><li class=\"hide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\">Stories<\/a><\/li><li class=\"hide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\">Stories<\/a><\/li><li class=\"hide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\">Stories<\/a><\/li><li aria-current=\"page\" class=\"hide\">Stories<\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"home\" class=\"wp-block-group abut-begin abut-end is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull has-parallax abut-end\" style=\"min-height:100vh;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-20763 has-parallax\" style=\"background-position:50% 50%;background-image:url(https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-mushroom.jpg)\"><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d6b9ab57 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"min-height:200vh\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:4rem;padding-right:4rem;padding-bottom:4rem;padding-left:6rem;flex-basis:50%\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">After the end<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d teaches us about society, survival, systems, and&nbsp;self<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:1rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-large-font-size\">\u201cThe Last of Us\u201d started as a video game developed by Naughty Dog, morphed into a popular 2023 HBO series, and is that rare cultural sensation poised to gain in popularity when the second season drops on April 13.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:40%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull has-parallax abut-end\" style=\"min-height:100vh;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#857362\"><\/span><div role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Close up of a fungus at Fat Moon Farms\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-20795 has-parallax\" style=\"background-position:50% 50%;background-image:url(https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Farm-shoot.jpg)\"><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d6b9ab57 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"min-height:200vh\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"background-color:#6e6a6869;padding-top:4rem;padding-right:4rem;padding-bottom:4rem;padding-left:6rem;flex-basis:50%\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-large-font-size\">The series depicts a deadly fungal pandemic that has obliterated much of the United States, leaving a smuggler named Joel and a teenage girl named Ellie to journey across the country, warding off zombie-like humans, eluding an oppressive government regime, and outwitting roving bands of marauders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:40%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull abut-end has-white-color has-true-black-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-2615cc20ec7a07b25063aebb9bc22dbb is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" id=\"intro-section\">\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro\">It\u2019s bloody. It\u2019s bleak. And we love it. Every dark moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro\">But why? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro\">Members of our faculty \u2014 from a fungus expert to teachers of dystopian film, games, and books \u2014 unravel the meaning and the madness behind our ongoing fascination with post-apocalyptic narratives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"aspect-ratio:1;min-height:unset;\" class=\"wp-block-cover is-light has-aspect-ratio\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#FFF\"><\/span><video class=\"wp-block-cover__video-background intrinsic-ignore\" autoplay muted loop playsinline src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Mycelium-SpeedRamped.mp4\" data-object-fit=\"cover\"><\/video><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"caption\">Above: Mycelium isolate, <em>Basidiobolus ranarum<\/em> is an opportunistic pathogen which lives in the gastrointestinal tract of amphibians. Lauren Parry, a Ph.D. student working in the Tabima Lab studies antifungal response trends for&nbsp;<em>Basidiobolus<\/em>&nbsp;using type, lab grown isolates, and isolates under selective pressures in the urbanized Worcester watershed. The time lapse was created from photos taken every five minutes for six days\u2013a total of 1,676 separate photos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro\">Why do we revel in tales of our own destruction? Are there life-affirming lessons in the wake of mass catastrophe? And are we confident that if the fateful day arrives when our planet shudders,  the last of us will include \u2014 us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro\">Let\u2019s find out \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide has-true-black-color has-true-black-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-2458ab9eb9c4238363b6d01e4894a508 is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-true-black-color has-gray-300-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-0fba77f7e6f3a944870bb3018ae04d53 is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow  has-text-align-left\">English<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>1. <a href=\"#narratives\">Why are we drawn to apocalyptic narratives?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-true-black-color has-gray-300-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-ed1ef5f39658639fcf172d9e73c57a89 is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow  has-text-align-left\">Game design<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>2. <a href=\"#game\">How do the games we play reflect our times?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-true-black-color has-gray-300-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-4c4a2686bbbf99dd4248e02475b75f20 is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow  has-text-align-left\">biology<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-true-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-63a28083701a3e82ec51f54ad715260c\">3. <a href=\"#fungi\">What is science and what is fiction?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-true-black-color has-gray-300-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-23543ed98ecfb534f8782634c3c946bc is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow  has-text-align-left\">film studies<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-true-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-de08dd6c79a98d2cab92eac258c009ef\">4. <a href=\"#film\">Do you know your zombie apocalypse movies?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-true-black-color has-gray-300-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-347c9add88f10dbe78aeb1b62dae0629 is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow  has-text-align-left\">Climate, Environment, &amp; Society<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-true-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-63f336509cf0fee2686bdcca45198bbd\">5. <a href=\"#course\">What is the connection between nature and culture?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull abut start abut-end has-dark-yellow-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-1 is-position-sticky\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow abut-end abut-start has-text-align-left\">Part 1. Why are we drawn to apocalyptic narratives?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull abut-end has-gray-400-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" id=\"narratives\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How we embrace, and grapple with, dystopian storytelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Betsy Huang, an&nbsp;English&nbsp;professor with an affinity for speculative fiction, recently rewatched season one of \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d in preparation for the season two premiere. Season two is dropping at a time when many people are examining the roles of institutions in their lives, Huang says, a concept depicted in the show and video game, and a common theme of post-apocalyptic stories in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Betsy-Huang-portrait-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20776\" style=\"width:400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Betsy-Huang-portrait-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Betsy-Huang-portrait-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Betsy-Huang-portrait-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Betsy-Huang-portrait.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">English Professor Betsy Huang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think that \u2018The Last of Us\u2019 in the current moment is reminding us of the frailty of all of our institutions, whether it&#8217;s our government or educational institutions,\u201d she says. \u201cOne can imagine that if all of these institutions disappeared, we&#8217;d want them back because we\u2019d all of a sudden realize it is difficult to live without a lot of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What worries Huang, however, is that the show could encourage a sense of radical individualism in its viewers. One interpretation of the story could be to save the one person you can and \u201cscrew everybody else,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To Huang, \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d is a familiar post-apocalyptic tale, with similarities to Octavia Butler&#8217;s \u201cParable of the Sower\u201d and other road narratives, and the show has echoes of \u201cThe Walking Dead.\u201d What drives people\u2019s interest in works of science fiction evolves over time, Huang says, but the main appeal is the sense of loss and hopelessness portrayed in these stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<p>\u201cPost-apocalyptic stories are about loss on a mass scale \u2014 it\u2019s about the rest of humanity or an institution or an organization or a social structure that you count on so much that it gives you a sense of purpose without you even realizing it on a conscious level.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEveryone knows what loss means and it\u2019s the scale of that loss that I think a lot of these works of fiction address very well,\u201d she says. \u201cFor the most part, post-apocalyptic stories are about loss on a mass scale \u2014 it&#8217;s about the rest of humanity or an institution or an organization or a social structure that you count on so much that it gives you a sense of purpose without you even realizing it on a conscious level.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOnce that is taken away,\u201d she continues, \u201cwhat remains in everything that you have counted on to carry you through the day?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter boxout has-background is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:23px;background-color:#f7e3b6;box-shadow:none\">\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>field notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Sharpen your ability to read deeply, ask questions that uncover meaning, and enrich your understanding the human condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/programs\/major\/english-ba\/\">Study English at Clark<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>When works in this genre explore restoring social order and reestablishing institutions, the result is often repressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey&#8217;re almost always overreaching, almost always authoritarian, and perhaps even worse,\u201d Huang says. \u201cIt becomes an evaluation of whose lives matter and whose lives perhaps don&#8217;t. That becomes an opportunity for interrogating what living a meaningful life means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:1rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignwide is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Why We Are Drawn to \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1071909357?h=d485bb114f&amp;dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a clich\u00e9, Huang says, that speculative fiction is a critique of the present and a reflection of the past. What this morbid fascination suggests, she believes, is that people don\u2019t have a happy outlook for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think, to many of us, the future is always already dystopian, always already filled with death and destruction, always already asking us to think about sacrifices that we have to make, always already critiquing us and criticizing us for the excesses and the extravagances and perhaps the kinds of problematic, wasteful, and destructive behaviors that we engage in,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull abut start abut-end has-dark-yellow-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-2 is-position-sticky\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow abut-end abut-start has-text-align-left\">Part 2. How do the games we play reflect our times?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull abut-end has-gray-200-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" id=\"game\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A gamer&#8217;s guide to the chaotic and the&nbsp;cozy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When gamers describe playing \u201cThe Last of Us,\u201d many speak about their emotional connection to the post-apocalyptic story and its lead characters Joel and Ellie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI never played a game before with so much emotion,\u201d one gamer writes in a review. \u201cI cried at least four to five times through it, and it takes a lot for me to cry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a typical response to the 2013 PlayStation game, which drew much critical acclaim, winning the DICE Awards\u2019 Game of the Year, the equivalent of a Best Picture Oscar. And it\u2019s a reaction that Ulm, professor of practice in Clark\u2019s Becker School of Design &amp; Technology, has observed throughout her decades of playing and creating games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"628\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/game-imagery-1024x628.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20781\" style=\"object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/game-imagery-1024x628.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/game-imagery-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/game-imagery-768x471.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/game-imagery-1536x941.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/game-imagery-2048x1255.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/game-imagery-1200x735.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur experience of playing a game isn\u2019t just about the language we use to express our feelings and our thoughts \u2014 it\u2019s also this visceral response, because when we\u2019re playing a game, it\u2019s a physical interaction,\u201d Ulm says, \u201cIt\u2019s a chemical response, whether we\u2019re happy or sad or scared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gamers first embraced \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d because of its \u201creally exciting world-building and the ability to embody the characters and play as Joel or Ellie, which brought about a deep connection and expression of how this reflected ourselves,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<p>\u201cGames provide that safe space to explore dangerous or scary topics. And often that\u2019s going to be something about our society.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ulm-portrait-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20780\" style=\"width:400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ulm-portrait-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ulm-portrait-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ulm-portrait-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ulm-portrait.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Game Design Professor Ulm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, once the story migrated to HBO, it became even more culturally significant because of recent real-world \u201cpivotal events,\u201d including a global pandemic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People are drawn to \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d and other post-apocalyptic games because their stories feel chillingly familiar, Ulm says. \u201cGames provide that safe space to explore dangerous or scary topics, and often that\u2019s going to be something about our society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In \u201cThe Last of Us,\u201d a \u201czombie\u201d fungus overtakes humans, driving them to hunt and infect others. Since the release of \u201cZombie, Zombie\u201d in 1984, electronic games have tapped into the age-old stories of will-less, speechless, but physically powerful beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Post-apocalyptic zombie games tap into some of our most deeply held fears about our humanity, forcing us to consider \u201cwhat is really at our core,\u201d according to Ulm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat would it mean to lose control or not actually have a purpose or autonomy \u2014 in this case, a brainlessness? What does it mean to be on autopilot?\u201d We face our existential anxieties \u201cabout whether we\u2019re going to find something meaningful or not, or if it\u2019s just an instinctual, brainless creature we could become.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter boxout has-background is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:23px;background-color:#f7e3b6;box-shadow:none\">\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>field notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Develop the skills to prototype, test, and build imaginative new worlds as you consider human behavior through the lens of interactivity and play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/programs\/major\/interactive-media-ba\/\">Study game design at Clark<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>There is an alternative to such fiery, chaotic games, however. \u201cCozy games,\u201d she says, offer \u201csomething positive, something with a human core, and I think that\u2019s a story worth telling as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With their calm, community-oriented experiences, cozy games became popular during the pandemic, when players flocked to \u201cAnimal Crossing.\u201d Some games, like \u201cI Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival,\u201d even combine the cozy and post-apocalyptic genres.<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe allow=\"autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; clipboard-write\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"175\" style=\"border:0;width:100%;max-width:800px;overflow:hidden;background:transparent;\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/fungal-armageddon-why-were-drawn-to-the-last-of\/id1608025510?i=1000703041983\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#887677\"><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-20782\" alt=\"Terrasa Ulm in an AI for gaming class\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/AI-For-Gaming.jpg\" style=\"object-position:53% 37%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"53% 37%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/AI-For-Gaming.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/AI-For-Gaming-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/AI-For-Gaming-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/AI-For-Gaming-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/AI-For-Gaming-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/AI-For-Gaming-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/AI-For-Gaming-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull abut start abut-end has-dark-yellow-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-3 is-position-sticky\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow abut-end abut-start has-text-align-left\">Part 3. What is science and what is fiction?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull abut-end has-gray-400-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" id=\"fungi\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don\u2019t fear the fungus \u2014 but watch your&nbsp;step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Biology&nbsp;professor and mycologist&nbsp;Javier Tabima Restrepo&nbsp;plays a lot of video games \u2014 before he became a parent, it was probably his biggest hobby after playing soccer \u2014 and \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d is among them. The video game and HBO adaptation starring Pedro Pascal, who happens to be one of Tabima\u2019s favorite actors, spins a fictional tale about the kinds of organisms Tabima researches every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Tabima-Lab-hero-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Tabima-Lab-hero-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Tabima-Lab-hero-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Tabima-Lab-hero-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Tabima-Lab-hero-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Tabima-Lab-hero-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Tabima-Lab-hero-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Biology Professor Javier Tabima Restrepo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFrom a psychological perspective, they clearly are trying to sell an idea that\u2019s a little bit absurd,\u201d Tabima says of the depiction of cordyceps, a genus of parasitic fungi, which, in the game and show, cause an infection that obliterates mankind. Though these kinds of parasitic fungi can infect and kill insects in real life, they don\u2019t reanimate corpses, Tabima stresses, something fellow&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/clarknow.clarku.edu\/2024\/02\/01\/the-mushroom-moment\/\">Clark mycologist and biology Professor David Hibbett has emphasized<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The video game and show\u2019s artistic rendition of cordyceps, while stunning, is imperfect, Tabima insists, and more closely resembles&nbsp;chicken of the woods, a yellow-orange edible mushroom. Cordyceps often appear as cylindrical-shaped fungi that grow off the body of insects such as ants. Tabima has collected these specimens firsthand while working with researcher Tatiana I. Sanjuan in Colombia. In a&nbsp;2015 paper published in&nbsp;<em>Fungal Biology<\/em>, their team described five new species of the genome. The project tapped into Tabima\u2019s passion for understanding the molecular process of differentiation between species and populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:1rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull has-parallax\" style=\"min-height:90vh;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-20764 has-parallax\" style=\"background-position:50% 50%;background-image:url(https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/ant-on-black-1024x681.jpg)\"><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d6b9ab57 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"min-height:200vh\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:4rem;padding-right:4rem;padding-bottom:4rem;padding-left:6rem;flex-basis:33.34%\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.34%\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-medium-font-size\">Cordyceps, the fungus depicted in \u201cThe Last of Us,\u201d appear as cylindrical-shaped fungi that grow off the body of ants. This carpenter ant is from the lab of Biology Professor, Kaitlyn Mathis, who studies the complex web of interactions between insects species that provide ecosystem services, like pest control, in agroecosystems. The image was created by stacking&nbsp;and blending 20 separate photos.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:1rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>What really excites Tabima is that \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d arrives on television screens amid a blooming interest in fungi spurred by pop culture, a desire to connect with nature, a fascination with creative cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s fantastic because the more that we can get the voice out that fungi are cool, the better,\u201d says Tabima. Mushrooms have gone mainstream with the help of books like \u201cEntangled Life\u201d by biologist Merlin Sheldrake and even the little red mushroom from Nintendo\u2019s Super Mario. They appear on people\u2019s dinner plates much more frequently than they did a few decades ago \u2014 in 2022, mushrooms were named the ingredient of the year by the&nbsp;New York Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<p>\u201cFungi give us food. Fungi give plants the ability to be able to collect resources from the soil. Fungi are decomposers that allow nutrient cycling. Fungi provide us with antibiotics. Without fungi, we\u2019ve got nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>As different kinds of media stoke mushroom mania, Tabima wants to ensure the public doesn\u2019t miss out on important emerging fungal research. He researches the genus&nbsp;<em>Basidiobolus<\/em>, including whether it could become a more prevalent human pathogen. In his lab, students examine&nbsp;<em>Basidiobolus<\/em>&nbsp;found in the gut biome of frogs. But, with amphibian populations declining because of habitat loss, and with&nbsp;<em>Basidiobolus<\/em>&nbsp;already able to infect vertebrates, Tabima and students want to understand whether humans are at risk of being infected and whether&nbsp;<em>Basidiobolus<\/em>&nbsp;can resist antifungal treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"555\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-Mushrooms-1024x555.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-Mushrooms-1024x555.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-Mushrooms-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-Mushrooms-768x416.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-Mushrooms-1536x833.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-Mushrooms-2048x1110.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-Mushrooms-1200x651.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, some experts believe&nbsp;the next pandemic could be fungal, Tabima notes. \u201cThat&#8217;s something that we need to be very aware of,\u201d he says, quickly adding that the risk shouldn\u2019t cause mycophobia. Tabima believes that the infection depicted in \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d is unlikely to ever occur. \u201cMammals have existed on earth for a very long time and so have fungi,\u201d he says. \u201cIf that interaction could have occurred, it would have by now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter boxout has-background is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:23px;background-color:#f7e3b6;box-shadow:none\">\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>field notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Gain hands-on lab experience and understand the principles that govern living organisms\u2014and how they connect to health, environment, and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/programs\/major\/biology-bs\/\">Study biology at Clark<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of the day, Tabima encourages viewers to enjoy \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d at face value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEnjoy it because the writing is superb, the story is great, the actors are perfect. Don&#8217;t fall into fear of fungi,\u201d he says. \u201cFungi are much more beneficial than detrimental. Fungi give us food. Fungi give plants the ability to be able to collect resources from the soil. Fungi are decomposers that allow nutrient cycling. Fungi provide us with antibiotics. Without fungi, we\u2019ve got nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull abut start abut-end has-dark-yellow-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-4 is-position-sticky\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow abut-end abut-start has-text-align-left\">Part 4. Do you know your zombie apocalypse movies?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull abut-end has-gray-100-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" id=\"film\">\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rolling the world\u2019s final credits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Movies have imagined the end of the world in so many ways, it\u2019s almost impossible to keep track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes the planet\u2019s demise arrives in the form of a virus that turns the living into the living dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or a nuclear war that leaves the irradiated survivors wandering a still-smoking landscape in search of any reason to keep breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or an invasion of body snatchers, or cyborg terminators, or Marvel supervillain Thanos snapping his galaxy-crushing fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And other times it\u2019s simply a matter of Charlton Heston dropping to his knees in the shadow of the severed Statue of Liberty and raging, \u201cYou maniacs! You blew it up! DAMN YOU!\u201d (If only he\u2019d listened to the apes, who\u2019d been trying to tell him exactly that.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/statue-of-liberty-1-1024x431.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/statue-of-liberty-1-1024x431.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/statue-of-liberty-1-300x126.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/statue-of-liberty-1-768x323.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/statue-of-liberty-1-1536x647.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/statue-of-liberty-1-2048x862.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/statue-of-liberty-1-1200x505.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hugh Manon, associate professor and chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, has a particular fondness for a good post-apocalypse movie (and, admittedly, some bad ones). \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d premise of a lone man transports a teenage girl across a ravaged landscape strikes a familiar chord with the film scholar, who teaches George Romero\u2019s 1968 zombie classic \u201cNight of the Living Dead\u201d as a foundational entry in the horror canon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf enough zombies bite enough people, the world becomes all zombies, and the people are gone. We understand the logic that the Earth is going to reach a point where something dramatically inverts the way things are supposed to work.&nbsp;<em>Something<\/em>&nbsp;is going to subsume the human species.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<section class=\"splide cu_carousel\" id=\"cu_carousel_1\" aria-label=\"Basic Structure Example\">\n    <div class=\"splide__track\">\n        <div class=\"splide__list\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"wp-block-clarku-slide splide__slide\">\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-gray-200-background-color has-background is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:0px\">\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>zombie movie 101<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>Slowest runners<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNight of the Living Dead,\u201d 1968 (can be outpaced with a brisk walk)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-clarku-slide splide__slide\">\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-gray-200-background-color has-background is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:0px\">\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>zombie<\/strong> <strong>Movie<\/strong> <strong>101<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>Fastest<\/strong> <strong>ZoMBIES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c28 Days Later,\u201d 2002 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTrain to Busan,\u201d 2016 <\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-clarku-slide splide__slide\">\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-gray-200-background-color has-background is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:0px\">\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>Dystopian movies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\"><strong>Influence on \u201cthe Last of Us\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNight of the Living Dead,\u201d 1968 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Road,\u201d 2019 [based on the Cormac McCarthy book]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cChildren of Men,\u201d 2006<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<script>\n    let cu_carousel_1 = new Splide( '#cu_carousel_1',{\n        type   : 'loop',\n        perPage: 1,\n        perMove: 1,\n        focus  : 'center',\n        pagination:false,\n        updateOnMove: true,\n        gap:'2.5rem',\n        breakpoints: {\n            768: {\n                perPage: 1,\n                arrows: true,\n                pagination: false            },\n            1279: {\n                perPage: Math.min(2, 1) ,\n                arrows: true,\n                pagination: false            },\n        }\n    } );\n    cu_carousel_1.on( 'mounted', function () {\n        cu_carousel_1.Components.Slides.forEach(component => {\n\t\t\tcomponent.slide.style.alignSelf = 'start'\n\t\t})\n    } );\n    cu_carousel_1.mount();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Apocalyptic movies, zombie-driven or otherwise, are an \u201cessentially narcissistic\u201d genre, Manon contends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey sort of invert what actually happens with human beings, which is that we die and the world lives on,\u201d he says. \u201cIn these films, the world dies and humans live on. It\u2019s counterintuitive because post-apocalypse movies seem to be taking humans out of the picture when they actually make human beings even more central to the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople today talk about how culture has taken a swing in the direction of pathological narcissism. Maybe a marker of that is the fact that apocalypse narratives are more popular today than they\u2019ve ever been.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull\" style=\"min-height:70vh;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#695f5a\"><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-20879\" alt=\"Screen studies students learning digital filmmaking\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Digital-Filmmaking-2.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Digital-Filmmaking-2.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Digital-Filmmaking-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Digital-Filmmaking-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Digital-Filmmaking-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Digital-Filmmaking-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Digital-Filmmaking-2-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Digital-Filmmaking-2-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Last of Us\u201d follows Manon\u2019s rule of thumb for a true post-apocalypse movie:&nbsp;&nbsp;The action has to range beyond a single location, reflecting the planetary impact of the disaster. Narrower-focused films like John Carpenter\u2019s claustrophobic masterpiece \u201cThe Thing\u201d (1982), set at a remote Arctic outpost, feel almost pre-apocalyptic by comparison, presaging the devastation to come.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter boxout has-background is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:23px;background-color:#f7e3b6;box-shadow:none\">\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>field notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Build critical tools for analyzing media and visual culture, and develop your own creative voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/programs\/major\/screen-studies-ba\/\">Major in screen studies at Clark<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>For an apocalyptic tale that will truly make you think, Manon recommends 2018\u2019s \u201cAnnihilation,\u201d starring Natalie Portman as a scientist investigating a so-called \u201cdisaster zone\u201d where an alien presence has altered everything inside the ecosystem, from the life forms to the laws of physics. \u201cIt\u2019s really interesting philosophically, and it\u2019s also kind of gross and scary,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think any scientist is denying the fact that at some point, something is going to wipe us out, whether it\u2019s a meteor or a contagion, or if global warming gets to the point where it\u2019s simply impossible to survive,\u201d Manon says. \u201cThese films know that, and they want to thrill us with the fantasy that we\u2019ll still be here. If anything, it\u2019s a more life-engaged genre than most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull abut start abut-end has-dark-yellow-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-5 is-position-sticky\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow abut-end abut-start has-text-align-left\">Part 5. What is the connection between nature and culture?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-gray-200-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" id=\"course\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Course examines humans\u2019 tangled relationship with fungi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before \u201cThe Last of Us,\u201d we might not have equated fungi with killer zombies. Instead, over thousands of years, we have looked to fungi \u2014 usually in the form of mushrooms \u2014 for food, medicine, storytelling, and spiritualism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Mycology-class-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Students holding mushrooms during a field trip to the Hadwen Arboretum\" class=\"wp-image-20861\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Mycology-class-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Mycology-class-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Mycology-class-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Mycology-class-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Mycology-class-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Mycology-class.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"938\" height=\"943\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/raven-fungus.png\" alt=\"Drawing from a carving by Charles Edenshaw in the late 1800s depicting the Haida myth of the origin of women.\" class=\"wp-image-20860\" style=\"width:450px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/raven-fungus.png 938w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/raven-fungus-298x300.png 298w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/raven-fungus-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/raven-fungus-768x772.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 938px) 100vw, 938px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Drawing from a carving by Charles Edenshaw in the late 1800s depicting the Haida myth of the origin of women. Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There was The Iceman we now call \u00d6tzi, discovered by hikers on the Austria-Italy border in 1991, who lived and died more than 5,000 years ago. Along with his copper axe, knife, arrows, and baskets, \u00d6tzi carried two species of wood-decaying mushrooms.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And there was Fungus Man, accompanied by the trickster Raven, key characters in the Haida people\u2019s creation story in the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are just two of the many examples that students encounter in <strong>Plants, People, and Fungi<\/strong>, an advanced course focused on humans\u2019 age-old relationships with flora and funga. New to Clark this spring, the class is taught by mycologist&nbsp;David Hibbett, the Andrea B. and Peter D. Klein \u201964 Distinguished Professor of Biology, and ethnobotanist&nbsp;Morgan Ruelle, associate professor in the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<p>\u201cOur cultures and ways of knowing are really shaped by plants and how we use them for food, for health, for energy. There\u2019s this mutual benefit in all these relationships that emerges strongly as we go through the course.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/David-Hibbett-portrait-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"David Hibbett\" class=\"wp-image-20868\" style=\"width:475px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/David-Hibbett-portrait-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/David-Hibbett-portrait-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/David-Hibbett-portrait-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/David-Hibbett-portrait.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Hibbett, Andrea B. and Peter D. Klein \u201964 Distinguished Professor of Biology<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m having a tremendous amount of fun teaching the course,\u201d says Hibbett, who joined Clark in 1999 and is now a world-renowned expert on the evolutionary biology of mushroom-forming fungi. \u201cIt\u2019s plants and fungi. It\u2019s basic botany and mycology. And it\u2019s ethnobotany and ethnomycology. So it\u2019s very interdisciplinary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ruelle brings expertise on how Indigenous and other place-based ecological knowledge systems can be combined with scientific research to develop sustainable solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe can approach the study of human-plant-fungal relations from many different disciplinary perspectives, and I think that David and I are demonstrating that in each class,\u201d says Ruelle, who met Hibbett after joining Clark in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Morgan-Ruelle-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Morgan Ruelle\" class=\"wp-image-20863\" style=\"object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Morgan-Ruelle-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Morgan-Ruelle-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Morgan-Ruelle-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Morgan-Ruelle-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Morgan-Ruelle.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Morgan Ruelle, associate professor in the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hibbett dives into the biochemical properties of plants and fungi, and their scientific and evolutionary history. An ongoing theme in the course has been humans\u2019 \u201cgive and take\u201d with plants and fungi, Ruelle says.<br><br>\u201cWe often describe it as co-evolutionary. It\u2019s not only that we domesticate plants, but Michael Pollan has written that the plants also domesticate us,\u201d he says. \u201cWe shape the plants genetically so that they better serve our needs, and sometimes they become dependent on us because we provide protection and promote their reproduction. On the other hand, our cultures and ways of knowing are really shaped by plants and how we use them for food, for health, for energy. There\u2019s this mutual benefit in all these relationships that emerges strongly as we go through the course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter boxout has-background is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:23px;background-color:#f7e3b6;box-shadow:none\">\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>field notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Gain a deep, interdisciplinary perspective of the environmental challenges we&nbsp;face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/programs\/major\/climate-environment-and-society-ba\/\">Study climate, environment, and society at Clark<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, Indigenous knowledge of plants and fungi also has been exploited, according to Hibbett. \u201cTaxonomy is inextricably connected to the history of colonization because so much of what we know about plants, fungi, and animals outside of North America and Western Europe really blossomed during the 19th century,\u201d he explains, \u201cwhen you had naturalists going around the world collecting the riches of the planet and bringing them back to museums and botanical gardens and zoos in Europe, principally, and then later in North America.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-background is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:23px;background-color:#f7e3b6\">\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>Recommended Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/course-examines-humans-tangled-relationship-with-fungi-and-plants\/\">More on the course, Plants, People, and Fungi<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Michael Pollan, \u201cBotany of Desire: A Plant&#8217;s-Eye View of the World\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Merlin Sheldrake, \u201cEntangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Robin Wall Kimmerer, \u201cBraiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants\u201d <\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:3rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-mono-font-family\" style=\"font-size:1rem\">Story: Melissa Hanson, Jim Keogh, Meredith King<br>Photos: Steven King<br>Video: Beth Prendergast<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\"><\/div>\n\n\n<style>\r\n.story-header {\r\n  display: none;\r\n}\r\n\t\r\n.entry-content .wp-block-group.breadcrumb-wrapper {\r\n\tposition: absolute;\r\n\tleft: 6px;\r\n\ttop: 70px;\r\n\tz-index: 2 !important;\r\n}\r\n@media all and ( min-width: 500px ) {\r\n\t.entry-content .wp-block-group.breadcrumb-wrapper {\r\n\t\ttop: 90px;\r\n\t}\r\n}\r\n@media all and ( min-width: 722px ) {\r\n\t.entry-content .wp-block-group.breadcrumb-wrapper {\r\n\t\tleft: 26px;\r\n\t}\r\n}\r\n@media all and ( min-width: 1120px ) {\r\n\t.entry-content .wp-block-group.breadcrumb-wrapper {\r\n\t\tleft: 6px;\r\n\t\ttop: 111px;\r\n\t}\r\n}\r\n.breadcrumb-wrapper .breadcrumbs ol {\r\n\tborder-bottom: 0;\r\n\tmargin-inline-start: 0;\r\n\tpadding-inline-start: 0;\r\n}\r\n.breadcrumb-wrapper .breadcrumbs ol a[href=\"\/\"], \r\n.breadcrumb-wrapper .breadcrumbs ol a[href$=\".edu\"],\r\n.breadcrumb-wrapper .breadcrumbs ol a[href$=\".edu\/\"] {\r\n\tfilter: brightness(90);\r\n}\r\n.breadcrumb-wrapper .breadcrumbs ol li a {\r\n\tcolor: #bbb;\r\n}\r\n.breadcrumb-wrapper .breadcrumbs ol li[aria-current=page] {\r\n\tcolor: #fff;\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Members of our faculty \u2014 from a fungus expert to teachers of dystopian film, games, and books \u2014 unravel the meaning and the madness behind our ongoing fascination with post-apocalyptic narratives and what the \u201cLast of Us\u201d teaches us about society, survival, systems, and\u00a0self.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20763,"template":"","meta":{"story_color":"#525250","story_headerImg":-1,"section_label":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"displayed_author":[235,237,242],"featured":[493],"topic":[244,117],"class_list":["post-20762","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","displayed_author-jim-keogh","displayed_author-melissa-hanson","displayed_author-meredith-woodward-king","featured-primary","topic-biology","topic-english"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>After the end | ClarkU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After the end\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Members of our faculty \u2014 from a fungus expert to teachers of dystopian film, games, and books \u2014 unravel the meaning and the madness behind our ongoing fascination with post-apocalyptic narratives and what the \u201cLast of Us\u201d teaches us about society, survival, systems, and\u00a0self.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ClarkU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-14T16:13:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-mushroom.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/10\\\/after-the-end\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/10\\\/after-the-end\\\/\",\"name\":\"After the end | ClarkU News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/10\\\/after-the-end\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/10\\\/after-the-end\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/37\\\/Hibbett-Lab-mushroom.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-10T17:52:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-14T16:13:11+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/10\\\/after-the-end\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/10\\\/after-the-end\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/37\\\/Hibbett-Lab-mushroom.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/37\\\/Hibbett-Lab-mushroom.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1440,\"caption\":\"Close-up of mushrooms grown in the Clark mycology lab\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\\\/wp\\\/v2\\\/story\\\/20762#breadcrumbs\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":0,\"name\":\"ClarkU\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"ClarkU News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\\\/wp\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\\\/wp\\\/v2\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\\\/wp\\\/v2\\\/story\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":6,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\\\/wp\\\/v2\\\/story\\\/20762\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"ClarkU News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"After the end | ClarkU News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"After the end","og_description":"Members of our faculty \u2014 from a fungus expert to teachers of dystopian film, games, and books \u2014 unravel the meaning and the madness behind our ongoing fascination with post-apocalyptic narratives and what the \u201cLast of Us\u201d teaches us about society, survival, systems, and\u00a0self.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/","og_site_name":"ClarkU News","article_modified_time":"2025-04-14T16:13:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1440,"url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-mushroom.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"17 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/","url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/","name":"After the end | ClarkU News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-mushroom.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-10T17:52:50+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-14T16:13:11+00:00","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/10\/after-the-end\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-mushroom.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-mushroom.jpg","width":2560,"height":1440,"caption":"Close-up of mushrooms grown in the Clark mycology lab"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/20762#breadcrumbs","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":0,"name":"ClarkU","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"ClarkU News","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":6,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/20762"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/","name":"ClarkU News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"fimg_url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Hibbett-Lab-mushroom-1024x576.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/20762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/story"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/20762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26924,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/20762\/revisions\/26924"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20762"},{"taxonomy":"displayed_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/displayed_author?post=20762"},{"taxonomy":"featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured?post=20762"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=20762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}