Imagine a world where fungi are the real-life puppeteers, controlling insects from within. What if we told you that such fungi have been around for over 100 million years, masquerading as "zombie mushrooms" long before they became the stuff of nightmares in video games and TV shows?

While the world might know them as the chilling antagonists in 'The Last of Us,' cordyceps fungi have existed far beyond the digital realm. A fascinating discovery reveals that these so-called zombie fungi have been around since the age of dinosaurs. Preserved in amber, these ancient mushrooms, named Paleoophiocordyceps gerontoformicae and Paleoophiocordyceps ironomyiae, share an uncanny resemblance to their modern counterparts.

The amber, like a prehistoric snapshot, captures an ant pupa overtaken by the fungus, its slender stems ready to attack unsuspecting prey. Another fly in the amber was ensnared by a different type, with a stroma piercing its body like a projectile.

This revelation isn't just a trip down memory lane for fungi. It ties these ancient species to the modern Ophiocordyceps family, despite their evolutionary paths diverging over 130 million years ago. Amber has once again proved its worth as a time capsule, famously portrayed in 'Jurassic Park' as a reservoir of DNA, fueling our imagination and fascination with the past.

Though extracting DNA from amber is a long shot, observing these creatures frozen in time is like peering through a window into a world where fungi ruled.