Various parasitic fungi known as cordyceps are explored in Pretty Dead as a possible cause for Regina’s strange behavior. Â Though common in jungle climates and used in Chinese medicine, they are rarely seen in Western culture. Â The introduction for most has been the BBC series Planet Earth, wherein the strange fungi is briefly explored in the “Jungle” episode. Â Below are links to information regarding research into the various cordyceps specie:
- Neurophilosophy blog – “Brainwashed by a Parasite”
- Huffington Post – “New Zombie-Creating Fungi Discovered”
- Cordyceps.us – Joe Spatafora’s website connected with Oregon State University researchers
- All Things Cordyceps blog – Bhutanese blog site dedicated to cordyceps
- Cordyceps sinesis blog – Daniel Winkler’s study of cordyceps usage in Tibet
- Mycological Society of AmericaÂ