Zombies - not so impossible?: Image courtesy lebovox via Flickr. Okay, I'll grant that the scientific research conducted by Cracked magazine may not be the most top notch stuff, they do have links to some pretty cool articles that have actual science in them in this totally awesome article about how zombies could actually happen. I love zombies and zombie stories. And Halloween. This article is perfect joy for me. Though readers beware, they do use some off color language occasionally.
Zombie Update
Ahoy, Buzzketeers, ahoy and aloha. JGordon here.
It’s a zombie heavy time of year. We’re well into the season of Halloweeny, zombie-themed events are happening left and right (apparently zombies are also into getting drunk?), and dozens of zombie apocalypse scenarios are shambling through your heads like so many reanimated corpses. And that’s all great, but I’m updating this post to tell you two things. Briefly:
1) You’re wrong. Y’all are dead.
2) This is a science blog, so lets do our best to rein it in a little. In a sciencey way, you know?
Ok, to my first point—come on, folks, really? A gun shop? Go to a gun shop? That’s the plan? Let’s think about this. What’s more dangerous, a staggering, slack-jawed zombie, or a desperate scared person, who will do anything to get/keep a firearm? Probably the crazy person with the gun. Clearly you aren’t the only person to think, “gun store,” so… you want to head to the place where there will be lots of freaked-out people and relatively few guns? Hmm. You’ll have to tell me about it later, because I think I’ll skip that.
Or a zombie-plow? It’s a delightful thought, but, I dunno… I’ve never actually had to drive plow through a crowd of un-feeling undead, but I wonder how long you could go before that plan fell through. Not to get too morbid, but that stuff is going to get stuck under your car, and some point you’re going to have to deal with it. Plows are for snow, not for hundreds of bony, 160-pound zombies.
Let’s separate ourselves from the future lunchmeat by being a little original. Which brings me to my second point: science, dudes, science!
We’re walking on thin ice already, what with this being a science blog, and zombies not being very sciencey. But perhaps we can use critical thought and scientific reasoning to effectively plan for the coming zombie apocalypse. Think outside the box here, because everyone inside the box is going to get eaten. (And I consider guns to be very much inside the box.)
We can still post zombie plans here, but only if they show a little more creativity and careful reasoning. Here are some things to think about:
Are you really going to pull off that headshot when the pressure is on? Have you ever considered how hard it might be to destroy the brain of a zombie with your old Louisville Slugger? Maybe you’re not the fighting type. (I’m not.) Or maybe you can fight zombies until the cows come home, but what about everyone else in your group? So how are you going to keep yourself alive? Invest some thought into zombie evasion. What techniques could you use to avoid inviting the attention of the hungry dead? Might there be a way to avoid their detection all together? Do zombies find you through sight? Or smell? Do they hear you? How would you disguise yourself, and how would you test out your methods without getting eaten?
Unfortunately, humanity doesn’t have a lot of real-world experience with zombie attack. But maybe we could find a useful analogy in nature. How do other organisms cope with the constant threat of being eaten? What survival techniques have kept them alive? How could we mimic them, or adapt them to the zombie threat?
And what about the endgame? Do you simply run from empty gun store to empty gun store until your luck or your food runs out? If you fortify an area, making it zombie proof (and how would you do that, exactly?), what could you do to ensure that you had food, water, and power for years to come? Or do you want to save the world? How are you going to figure out what’s causing the zombie infection? How are you going to cure it? If most of the world is infect… can it be cured? Or must it be quarantined?
There’s a lot of things to consider here, and “my dad has a gun” isn’t one of them.
So, people, lets use our brains before the zombies do. (As it were.) How are science and scientific knowledge going to get you through the zompocalypse?
Only science will save us from the zombie apocalypse! And only science will save your comment from being deleted. Let's see some zombie science!
EmailYour Comments, Thoughts, Questions, Ideas
Explore
Recent comments
Subscribe
I want to learn about
Science Buzz is supported by the National Science Foundation.Copyright © Science Museum of Minnesota, 2004-2010, except where noted.
I think about The Zombie Apocalypse a lot.
Here's kind of a fun mental game you can play (it works at home, work, church, etc, where ever you can just zone out): consider your surroundings, and plot out your best course of action should Zombie Apocalypse suddenly occur (there will be no warning for the real zombie apocalypse). Are there lots of people around? Do they look like zombies-in-waiting, or fun survivor sidekick material? Which rooms or areas would offer the best protection (remember, zombies aren't fast, but there are a lot of them, and you can get trapped). Are there materials around for improvised anti-zombie weapons? The scenario can get as detailed as you want.
Now, when playing Zombie Apocalypse, you have to accept that you're sort of thinking like a crazy person. Just go with it though - it's all part of the game.
I play this game all the time. I'm so glad I'm not the only one!
You mean something like this?
2012... Now there is a thought. That in my opinion, is when the Zombie Apocalypse will begin. Are we prepared? Will we survive? I suspect that we are all in for a very difficult time. I am preparing myself for this unlikely, yet factual event which is about to hit us all in four years time.
I think you're wrong about 2012. End of the big Mayan calendar cycle, blah blah blah. I think a really good zombie apocalypse has to be our fault (28 Days Later), or a total mystery (Dawn of the Dead).
Prophesy doesn't do it for me. Unless someone who is all fired up about 2012 accidentally unleashes a zombie plague on the world through some New Agey ritual--that'd be pretty cool.
You're right about it being a trying time for us all, however.
Here's a link Liza sent my way this week--it's a brief, but pretty comprehensive zombie survival instructional video. I hope you all find it useful.
I play that game all the time, I'm a security Forces member in the USAF and I'm armed up all the time at work and I have 12 hours of post time to zone out and think of everything I would do should they start to attack. I worked an Iraqi Prison on my last deployment that made for some cool scenarios.
dude me and my friends talk about this everyday. we are so ready for the real thing. we discuss courses of action, protection, like steel gauntlets, traps, like flaming piano wire across doors, weapons, like molotov cokctails and katanas, safehouses, mobile destruction, like an armored transit bus and we consider every possiblitiy. when it happens i'll remember your name jgordon and hope to see you on the other side!
zombies arnt real guys sorry to ruin your sick dream
Meanwhile, archaeologists in Egypt have pinpointed the site of the first recorded zombie attack, though the date remains a matter of debate.
is this serious?! seems like a far off stretch to me. i think a sacraficial story to explain the headless burials would be a little more believable. i would like to see those virus-testing on the brain tissues found...because i think i'm starting to feel zombiatic!
What to say... I have a feeling it's soon. Maybe not 2012, but sometime in our lifetime... Wonder if the internet will still be up? Probably not since the power will be lost over time. No one would be at the plant. Anyways, if I ever meet up with anyone, good hunting.
I believe in a zombie apocalypse but however I feel it will not happen for a while I hope i will have enough time to get land and put up a wall and gate and have a garden also solar and wind power. I personaly don't believe in 2012 but I have looked up the topic, I more believe in JGordon's theory that we will cause it.
U.K is pretty much going down tha pan because we have no weapons and because we all think we are hard we will trying attacking them with are fists and die ;) although i won't be around im joinin Royal Air Force and ill be 19 if this happens, great eh!!
Maybe zombies may not happen, but when rabies get mutated it could cause something similar to 28 days and 28 week later movies.
Probably not. But it's fun to think about.
zombies are an awesome thought, but if the zombie apocalypse actualy happened, id be scared outta my mind. but i cant wait because i know its going to happen, i have survival strategies all planned out, and id love to be able to say "i survived the zombie infection!"
There is going to be a zombie outbreak and yeah it would be pritty scary and i wont just go out and take them on .... it wont matter to me anyway cos ill have loads of guns when i join the army in 2011 so ill be safe in the army base/HQ and yeah i cant wait but would it actualy happen who knows....
Huh. Well, you might have an edge on the rest of us, but the armed forces are no guarantee of safety. I mean, look at 28 Days Later. Or Day of the Dead.
When the Z.A. happens, it'll be our clever little brains that save us, not our guns alone. (I hope—I don't have any guns.)
Our brains will save us or be zombie chow. Oh, and how zombies work link.
I have been preparing for it for long, with the swine flu vaccin being rushed recently and all the talk going on about 2012, i think, i mean, i know, it will happen, there planning to release the vaccin in 2012, to force us to take it, i wont, im pretty sure its what it is, and as said previously, our guns are just a little part of the solution, i got my glock 19 by my side here, i hope it will save my butt, iv been planning everything, just felt like saying, dont think joining the army will save you, who are the first to fight them? the army, good luck, and have fun..
Until them, i gotta keep getting ready, good theory, if that all happens, i hope it wont be those 28 days/weeks later "zombies" but the slow ones from "dawn of the dead" and such movies. hope i see some of you guys on the right side of the mess.
ehh i think the zombies would run, retaining some primal instincts since their brain is the only thing keeping them going. though zombie behavior can only be speculated, i think they would continue moving until their tissue and muscles began deteriorating. they could also starve eventually. there's a bright side to the zombie apocaypse, we just have to be NOT DOOPID
I thought I was weird because i play this game all the time when i am bored! there is a possibility that a zombie raid could happen.
wouldnt that be some shit if there was really a T-Virus!!!!
I live in an average size town and i always think about zombies when i drive around lol! i look at everything and find some good places for hiddinng and sniping and stuff like that!!! hahha
Heh, I hope there is a Z.A. personally, not only am I prepared mentally...but I've got my stash of weapons ready lol. If it ever does happen, remember...Don't go out at night, don't go to the bathroom in the woods, don't go swimming...most importantly...Don't touch the dang body after you've "killed" it. It may not be dead, but if it is...guess what's sneaking up behind you... :)
Anyway, if it does happen... I hope to see ya'll on the good side of things!
Hero, it does seem you all want to be a hero so bad. FIght for the world. Dream as you will but fantesys will not help any of you. What are the probebiletys of a zombie knocking at your door asking for some sugar. I am not saying that I know what is going to happen but I can ashure you that "zombies" probebly wont come back to life and kill the world.
Keep dreaming and hoping, but none of you will be heroes.
i like the way you think about sniping zombies
I've just now invented another game! It's called "Scorn people who go prepared into the zombie apocalypse."
It goes like this:
Pff. Nice chainsaw and guns. Way to board up your doors and windows. Yeah, I thought about doing that, but then I just gave my gun to some baby, and then boarded him up in a house, because only babies need that stuff. I'll be facing the zombies in a parking lot, and I hope I'm wearing shoes when it happens, because there's going to be a lot of punching and kicking. That's all a true apocalypsonaut needs.
Obviously you don't play this new game to win. You play for points.
I always think about this i also really wish the zombie apocalypse would happen i think i would have fun i know that sounds sick but i would
I kinda hope this would happen. My family owns a farm with alot of guns and food so ill be set hopefully we can meet one day!
my biggest fear is every body turning against echother with gangs like in George A. Romaroes Diary of the Dead or all of the millitary going currupt and religous cults doing sacrifices. basicaly the world going to hell.
if not im going to have a ball, i will learn to hot wire a semi truck and treat it like a snow plow i mean i will go
zombie land on their butts. PS zombie land best movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All I'd do is go to the local airport steal a nice Gulfstrem and head for Midway Island and then I'd live there
I'm afraid that that's not what would happen. You might try to get to the airport, but, sadly, one of the many, many people at the airport who know something about flying planes would have long since taken the few planes there.
That's probably for the best, though, because, assuming the runways were clear enough and whatever land based systems that help pilots navigate weren't too messed up, once the plane touched down to refuel, it would be all over. And even if you made it to the island, you'd have to cross your fingers that there weren't any zombies already there, or that any would ever arrive, because... imagine being stuck on a small island with a rapidly multiplying population of predators and limited prey (you).
No, please do imagine it, because that's the only sciencey thing I can make out of this. And these comments now require science content.
Let's see some science! You're barely trying, and it means you're going to get eaten.
I Live in an all steel building with no windows! I've had my thoughts I'm going to cut a hole in the top of the building (it's 27 foot tall) and just pick em' off. I already working on the plans for an armored vehicle to go out and get food. Should start buying canned food and storing it away, enough to last me and some people a couple years. I'll just try my best not to get eaten. If the internet is still up when it starts ill give you my address and we'll take these things out as a group!
Aaaah!!!
No!!!
Please, people, science science science! Your responses must contain something sciencey! Or I will be forced to point out all the places you've gone wrong, and why you will die horrible, violent deaths because of your thoughtlessness. Arrrggh!
Tater is dead.
Tater, do you live in a silo or something? I'm assuming you've got plumbing and running water, and that's going to be pretty important when the zompocalypse comes, 'cause you're going to get thirsty, and things are going to get stinky if you don't have water.
Your comment about the internet brought something to mind—electricity. I'm going to say no, the internet won't last long after zombies. I don't know how much maintenance all the servers the the internet exists on require, or how long it'll be before accidents destroy the data-carrying infrastructure the internet requires, but let's assume the best for those, and that that will all be okay for a while (even though it won't). What the internet definitely does need is electricity. How long will that last? Not super long, Tater, not super long.
The book The World Without Us covers some of this (that is, how long stuff will last without people to take care of it) but I'm afraid I don't have a copy handy. Fortunately, the Straight Dope also covered this question (specifically relating to zombies, even!)
They point out that coal plants (which supply more than half of the country's electricity) will go down in about a day, without a constant supply of fuel. And even if the coal were somehow able to still be mined, processed and transported to the power plants, there are a whole bunch of things that can go wrong. Hopefully the power plant is zombie proof, and none of those people want to go home and protect their families!
Nuclear plants, supplying about 20% of our power, don't need fuel so often (they can last maybe a year and a half between refueling). And while they're more stable than coal plants, they still need constant maintenance and monitoring. So they might last a few days to a week.
Hydro plants could last a few weeks unattended if they're lucky. But we only get about 7% of our power from them. Hopefully you, the people you want to email, and the facilities the internet requires are all on that 7%, huh?
Natural gas might last 1-3 days.
And think about how power can go out even without the help of hordes of the undead.
Straight Dope suggests that in the event of a more gradual zombie outbreak, survivors might be able to keep some plants going for a few months. But even then it would probably only result in small, isolated "islands" of power.
So no internet for you.
And back to the water situation—that's gone too. All that canned food will do you no good without something to drink. If you get your water from a well beneath your property, better rig up a hand crank. And if you get city water, you're going to want to fill up the tub before the pumps that fill up water towers to provide pressure go, because everyone else is going to want that water too. And I'm not just talking about drinking water. We've gotten pretty used to flushing stuff away. So are you going to fill up your house? (Good thing about those high ceilings!) Or dump it over the roof? Neither is very hygienic, and wouldn't dying of diarrhea during a zombie apocalypse just be a kick in the teeth? Or will you dig a latrine on the edge of your property? Better make the outhouse out of steel too.
And your armored car? It'll need fuel. If the zombie outbreak is fast enough that people don't get a chance to empty gas stations before they're empty, and if accidents don't make the remaining gas totally unaccessible, you're going to have to figure out a way to get the gas quickly (without the help of electric pumps, remember), before the zombies sniff you out.
Think this out as a group now, not later. And really think it out. Use your noggins. Use your science.
Going more off the "sciency" note, human intervention would not be the only solution for the proposed zombie outbreak. They are, or were once, human. They have human organs, tissue, muscle, bone, blood, etc. Any ailment concerning them could very well effect a zombie.
Secondly, anyone who paid half attention in chemistry knows that dead matter WILL decay. If we did think through our strategies wisely, and were somehow able to hold out long enough, they would eventually decay. And assuming they would hunger for human flesh would lead to starvation again assuming we properly worked through it.
my plan is to go to a local gunshop. i made a list of the guns im getting if this scenario ever happens in my life time.: a single action revolver,a 357,ak 47,m9,hunting rifle,and a mac11.
Hmm. I think we've covered the gunshop plan already. I'm afraid that thousands of people got to the shop before you, and if you're lucky, they've already left.
But let's say you made it to a gunshop early, and nobody is violently trying to obtain or protect the guns, and you somehow filled your list. Let's see what you've got.
A loaded AK weighs about 10 pounds.
Depending on the model, your revolver will weigh about 3 pounds.
The magnum will add another 3 pounds, give or take.
The m9 is 2.6 pounds.
"Hunting rifle" is sort of a generic term. But let's say that your average zombie can be considered "medium to large game," so you'll probably want something like like a 30-06, and that'll be about 10 more pounds.
Your mac-11 machine pistol will be 3.5 pounds.
So what's all that add up to? You've got 32.1 pounds of guns, with no accessories or ammo. And you're going to want ammo, I suppose, unless you just wanted some fancy clubs. You could probably carry 32 pounds without much trouble, but hopefully you've got a team to carry your ammo, water and food. You also might want to consider those long guns—with a rifle and an AK-47 on your back, crawling through tight spaces might be an issue, and they make a couple more nice handholds for grabby zombie hands. Animals that spend most of their time running and hiding from predators don't have a lot of extra weight, usually, and their bodies are often sleek and bendy. Think about a rat, adam41609. After the zombie apocalypse you'll probably be living like a rat (if you're living at all) so make ratty plans.
Or maybe you want to live boldly, and take the planet back from the zombie scourge? Is the best way to do that—i.e. the systematic elimination of millions of undead monsters—striking out on your own with a wheelbarrow full of weapons?
No, I'm sorry, but you'll need to think this out more. But please write back when you have some sciencey plans!
okay the uk'll will be pretty much toast! But! we British are good thinkers! my house is well cited and easy to block up! without guns i'd say car batteries would have to do. a few well placed sulphuric acid mines wouldnt go amiss. as for water. i live by the sea, all i need is a crude distilling kit, easy. plenty of shops near by. got a car that runs on chip fat! plenty of fish and chip shop near by! could convert a generator for power but its a bit loud! thats it! like i said Britain is screwd!!
OK!!
This isn't exactly what I was looking for, but it's a start! You're thinking about a few beyond guns. Way to go.
Although... what the heck is a sulfuric acid mine? Don't tell me that such a thing exists outside of video games...
well you're saying use science. so i can only assume that not everyone has a degree in physics, chem or biology. so bodge-jobs'll have to do! so a car battery rigged to blow would be the afore mentioned "mine".
it all depends on location. and as we all know battle plans tend to fly out the window in the heat of things!
one question! what kind of zombie are we talkin about?
if its the sprinting sceaming jumping ones i'd have say we're all doomed! Yay!
Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm no scientist myself. But hopefully we're all capable of some critical thinking, and, y'know, there's this internet thing to help us sound like scientists.
That battery thing sounds crazy to me. But I like the creativity. How does one make a battery explode? No need to get into a step-by-step, please, but what's going on in a battery that could make it explode? Chemically, what happens when strong acid comes in contact with flesh? And how quickly does the reaction occur? Would it be enough to stop a zombie?
I'm going to say that we're just talking about the classic, shambling Romero zombies. But if anyone's well-thought-out scenario involves running zombies, that's cool with me. After all there are prey species out there who are able to survive even when their predators are faster than they are. And we're so much smarter than zombies!
i dont think the weed be smarter than zombies becuase in the movie *İ am legand*or how you spell it the zombies made a plan to capture will smith. and zombies run fast in that movie too and its impossıble to find a cure becuase smtih couldent find one in 700 DAYS
Well... a few thing.
A pack of wolves could probably make a plan to trap something too (or at least corner it), but I still think people are smarter than wolves.
Also, those weren't zombies. Zombies don't get burned by sunlight, and zombies are essentially mindless, so the things in I Am Legend... weren't zombies.
And as to the "impossible to cure" thing—Think about how long it takes teams of researchers to find cures or treatments for real diseases. It can take years and years, even with excellent facilities and lots of resources. So just because the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air couldn't find a cure for a disease working by himself in basement surrounded by monsters in the space of 700 days, I'm not sure we can discount the possibility that a similar fictional infection could be cured under different circumstances.
those are vampires in I Am Legend. Just putting that out there.
this whole subject frightens me so.
I don't believe it will ever happen, sorry. Think of all of the diseases that would have been about in times before now, surely one of them would've mutilated and caused a "zombie" apocolypse.
Secondly, we are yet to find a way of resurrecting someone, and i thoroughly doubt something like that would just happen.
Next, hasn't it occured to anyone that "zombies" are just fictional horror characters like Freddy, or even the giant spiders from 8-legged freaks?
However, say i am wrong. Say that in 2012 when the "Long Calender" reaches it's end, and there is a zombie apocolypse. Nobody has a hope. Yes, sure, you might live for a few months. But there are billions of people in the world, and i would bet that 3/4 of those are wanting to munch on your brains.
So i would personally kill myself, than have to even consider shooting anyone else, especially people i know.
There is a science behind this theory, but it's a very far fetched and fictional science, that if ever does come to exist, will be in many years to come.
3 words... mutated toxoplasmosa gondii
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasma_gondii
from what i know, it takes over the brains of rats and it makes them commit suicide by running at cats, the cat then eats it and the parisite reproduces in the cats stomach/intestine,
its probs gonna be this or either nanobots (cellular re-genesis is already being researched) or it could be a mutant rabis virus =/
ill be safe, im close to a shopping centre with a gun shop near it =D
Ooh! Except for the old "gun shop" problem, I like where you're going here! Toxo... good! I posted on Science Buzz last year about some new research that seemed to show that humans affected with Toxo showed very slight behavioral changes.
I've never been one for the mutated rabies thing, though. I mean there are lots of conditions that cause nerve or brain damage, but you don't hear people theorizing about how tertiary stage syphilis will be the root of a zombie apocalypse (although syphilitic zombies would be terrifying.) There are other behavior-altering pathogens out there, though, and those are a little more palatable to me, as far as a Z.A. goes. Maybe there's a post there...
if i have 300meters of copper wire and my front garden is 3m × 10m. what level of volts/amps will i need to fry a zombie?
anyone seen 'doghouse'? funny british zom/com/horror! if a bit naff, the idea behind it is good!
okay one thing that i noticed in your article is the no guns thing, yeh sorry but that is one of the most effective but you do have a point CRAZY IDIOTS WITH GUNS not cool!!!! but if you have resources use them like a armory for the gov near your house that allways works, and theres always one crazy old guy that has a collection, but as i was getting to you left one this out about groups, THERES ALWAYS AN IDIOT THAT WANTS TO LEAVE, so what do you do, well i would kill him because hes as mindless and will do anything just like the zombies would, and if he gets out they allll get in, me and my friends are already preparing for the this, were buying our guns and amo and hell were all in the army and get the big guns(50 calibure barrett m107) thats my baby(:, so i think we should start the zombie killers of the world socioty email me back if youd like to talk, cause when this stuff starts well need all the HUMANS we can get!!:)
i just read a thing on a parasite in rats that take over there movement and the only way they can reproduce is in cats so they force the rat to get eaten, now there saying that all it needs to do is evolve and it can do the same to us, and there for we have our zombies, there not dead but there mindless creatures so well see what happends
There we go. I like this more than the gun stuff.
Yeah, I think you're referring to Toxoplasmosa gondii —there are a couple posts on it a few comments up.
But, if we're imagining a mutated Toxo, and not some other behavior-altering infection, it wouldn't quite work for zombiism, right? Because in the traditional imagining of a zombie apocalypse, the scenario doesn't involve the infected passively lining up (like the rats) to be eaten by the uninfected (the cats). Norms eating zombies? Crazy! The effect of the Toxo would have to work the other way around.
But if the aim of an infection is simply to spread itself, it wouldn't make a lot of sense for something like Toxo to mutate so that it caused extreme aggression. What's the use in infecting something that's immediately going to be killed anyway? It would make more sense if the zombie disease made the infected want to give back rubs and big, sloppy kisses. Unless dead bodies were an important part of the pathogen's life cycle...
well if you think about it since its a parasite it needs to be delivered through the blood so a bite or a scratch would infect, and another thing is the only way to fully kill a zombie is shooting it in the head and where is this thing located, its all accully kinda cool that this could really happen, you see its all really in the head, a canable is a mental condition, severe rage and anger problems, all in the mind, and when something like that gets a hold of it, were screwed and well theres one other thing we dont know what the goverment is working on, so these zombies or reserection of the dead might be closer that we think, i mean hitler was exparimenting with it, so i guess well find out soon!! and jgordon do you have a myspace or something???
but if the virus/bacteria or whatever can regenerate dead cells then the host could be dead or alive, it wouldnt really matter, plus if its been dead first it wont have any conscious memories or anything ( by that i mean no resistance ) =/
Hmm. Not sure about that—a virus couldn't bring a dead cell back to life because viruses totally depend on cells being alive for them to do what they do. Viruses work by taking over living cells and reprogramming them to make more viruses.
Like... say a cell is a robot programed to make toasters, or something. But when it gets "infected" by a virus, it quits making toasters and focuses on reproducing the virus code, so that the virus can take over more robots. (Ok, this is getting a little stretched, but...) If that robot is smashed with a sledgehammer first, there's nothing for the virus to take over. The robot can't even be programmed to repair itself (regenerate, if you will), because, being smashed, it's un-programmable. If you introduced a virus to a dead body, the virus would just kind of be like, "What the heck am I supposed to do with this?!"
You'd need a mechanism way beyond our understanding of biology. I'm going to call that mechanism "magic," and I'm afraid magic isn't allowed in this game. The premise is shaky enough to begin with, so we have to stick to quasi-rational, quasi-scientific stuff. Unless you can back up the idea that a truly dead cell can, well, do anything, with some science, we have to find a better explanation.
Check it out! I made a zombie apocalypse word cloud with this post and its comments, using the Wordle site.
Zombie word cloud!
Courtesy Wordle
if thier were a zombie apocalypse my plan would be to go to the area of least population like northern canada or a remote island because people are what make zombies. i would do it by going to a small airport near were i live and stealing an airplane then go to an international airport and steal a bigger one and then go to my destination also i would bring alot of guns with, fortunately i have some so i would not need to raid a gun store or walmart which i agree would be stupid thing to do. i know i could fly the small plane but a jumbo jet would be untested, i think i could do it but i could also just crash off the runway. reguardless i would try it any way. the key is early detection so the second i heard of real life zombies, i would begin to impliment my plan
I'm skinny and can run a lot before getting tired at all, i was in my athletics team back in high school, my pans rage from getting something silent like a bike to just going on foot. Traveling in group is a must if you plan to stay alive, you can't carry everything yourself without making a hella lot of noise (canned food, etc)
Think of it as if you're going on a long camping trip, but aside from that, you need to run constantly, at any given time, so try to keep yourself light and ready to go, all the time! Melee weapons are a must, firearms are too loud and will only attract more zombies, unless you get yourself a silencer, wich would be a HUGE advantage!
My goal is to take over a Walgreens with one of the steel gates that go across the main entrance. After barricading myself in, i will set up the inflatable pools that they have in storage for the summer up on the roof to collect water. unfortunately, i don't know of any walgreens with solar panels, so i'll probably have to go without electricity. i understand that i will eventually start running out of supplies, so i will set up signs telling survivors on the outside that i wish to barter. then i will barter medicine or batteries from the drive-thru window at the pharmacy for things like bunsen burners, oil, possibly weapons, seasonings to preserve things that are starting to rot, dirt and seeds so i may start growing my own food on the roof, and perhaps barbed wire and dogs on the roof to keep people from breaking in. i would also try to acquire chickens, but i probably won't have any luck. lol, i could always take up falconry, too.
i'm not sure if i would be able to sustain more than one person in my party.
it is very fun to play this game, but there are so many factors that decide survival before you even get a chance to act.
first it all depends on how early or late you are made aware of the upcoming zombie attack. its most likely that if you are one of the last to know most of the things needed for basic survival such as food, water, heat, and weapons would most likely be very scarce, increasing time needed to locate these items, therefore leaving you out into the open
second exactly where you are when it happens. for example living in a big city with a higher population than a rural area, sorry but all you city slickers are dead....
my final point would be what resources you already have at your disposal, if you have no weapons but food and water how will you defend yourself, if you have weapons but no food or water, how would you get it? and if you are lucky enough to have weapons food and water, just how long do you think you could hold of the population of your city, or even state??
i dont mean to insult anyone at all, i play this game quite often, but before i do play, to make it more interesting i put myself in different situations as listed above, for example, i am the first to know of the attack, i have no weapons but plenty of food and water, and i live in a busy southern city such as Miami.
try to spice up the game a little by setting some pretty interesting pre-game scenarios....
There are some pretty interestin plans and scenarios posted here. Me and a group of friends have been thinking about and planning for the Z.A. for quite some time. the best thing someone could do is be ready. Have everything that you need before it happens. DON'T GO LOOTING THE MINUTE THE OUT-BREAK HAPPENS. that would be retarded and would only end up getting you killed faster.
Think about it, the second the Z.A. happens thousands of people are going to bumrush the local shops and stores trying to get supplies. They are all dead the second they get out. So take your time, and dont get killed in the begining.
If you are smart and prepared hopefully we will all see eachother on the other end of hell on earth.
Oh and dont forget to figure out a way to keep yourself occupied. BOREDOM KILLs. Litterally. try playing cards or that oh so fun game from dawn of the dead. what was that called again....... Oh yeah Holly-Wood Squares. Shoot or kill any zomd that resembles a movie star.
To summ it all up:
-be prepared
-be patient
-stay occupied
- oh yeah, DON'T BE THE HERO.
Hope i helped out a little.
P.S. sorry if it wasn't very sciency.
Scientists have made a zombie-apocolyse scenario and well... even if they were brain dead walking corpses we would have very slim chances of survival.
and if they were quick and smart...
there is nothing that can describe how horrible humanity ends
Ok so here is what I think. 2012 is a big maybe/what if kinda thing. If it happens Ima party like no other, and tell everybody that they were wrong, and laugh. But if it doesnt than well hey were still alive. If he Zombie stuff happens well how will you know that there is a zombie outbreak?? Do you think the government would tell everybody in the world, that hey everybody this is your government and there are real zombies gonna kill us. No, I dont think so. And a cure, hahahaha!! Thats just funny. We cant even cure cancer and etc and you wanna talk bout a cure for zombies. Hahahahaha!! If they do have a cure are they really gonna tell people?? No, I dont think so. Considering the government told the U.S basicly if the bird flu hits us, we cant do anything. So your all pretty much f#*ked. If they have a cure, they wont tell people they would sell it to make money, Or all the people who are important will be at safe and the rest to fend for themselves. Just think about how much cure they would have vs how much the virus is spreading and how many people are left and can survive. Some how the news will spread if zombies happend. Just look how everything is now days. Well anyways. I just think everybody would have a better chance thinking outside the box. If this is a zombie apocalypse, what makes you sure that the government would help its people. I also agree with the science view on it. A room full of guns with jumpy people. Umm ya, no. At the wrong place at the wrong time might just cost you more than what you thought. Haha. Ohh and 28 days later, it wasnt zombies it was rage. Common people if your gonna make movie ref, atleast get it right.
i think about zombies alot and what i would do is since i live in a small town i would get the weopons food and water that i needed for a year or 2 for a couple of people then while half of us slept the others coould keep watch and we would take turns making a barricade but i would make sure to have an exit escape thats easily accesible incase they brake it down untill they do ill wait till theyll rot
hey, you cants say zombies arnt real.
its like saying there arnt other people out of our galaxy. there may be so.
here in the far furutre you will wake up and there they will be, not saying its gonna happen, but cant say it wont.
zombies are so unpredictable, anything can make it happen.
if any of you have played left 4 dead or any other zombie game(s) (i have) you will think 3 things:
1: there are quote"safe rooms(or zones)" unquote to contain survivors(or infected) and protect humanity.
That being said, you are DOOMED to think that exists and even if it does, do you think it will work, and for how long?
2: there are sane people out there(there will be) but statistics show 1/30 survivors will be sane, mix that with zombies(btw thats about 1/70 when infection hits full bloom) and only 1/100 people are non hostile, but they are jumpy, and on occasion, armed. so scratch that unless you begin with allies(which odds are WILL NOT happen) you're flying solo.
3:people will willingly go out of their way to help you(ex: campaign finales in left 4 dead) get out of trouble. unless they have supplies to spare(ex. gas, food, water), they are insane and pretending to help you just to get fresh meat(aka. YOU), or they are the bravest people alive, you will not find help.
anyway, just wanted to foil your idiotic and doomed plans before they happen
In Africa, they put ppl in a trance like zombie state by ingesting a drug. but it only lasts for a while. Suppose to be a mind opening experience like the Amer. Indians have with peyote ceremonies.
i doubt this would happen... because if it wasnt for all these zombie movies people wouldnt think about a zombie apocolyse... but it is really fun to think about
Lets think about this. Deeply of course. You want heavy clothing to prevent bites, weapons of course. But what kind of weapons? Guns, maybe. Melee weapons are more convenient. Maybe some sort of acid? Land mines? Maybe they are scared of fire? You have to find the problem, then adapt to it. IMO, carry bags of tea around with you. Antioxidants, vitamins, and once again think outside of the box. Keep moving. And get ready...something like this will happen one day; 2012 or not.
Yay! Someone that listens to repeated comments by Jgordin and other people. But seriously, think like that and you just might make it through it(if it happens).
While Anonymous was talking, I noticed he said we should adapt to survive our zombie enemies. He is the kind of guy that would survive just because he planned 2 weeks in advance, etc... But how would we adapt? Would we find their weakness, how would we use it against them if we did? What would you do to make sure they don't find your weakness? How would you hide and live during the outbreak? Their are millions of possibilities, but just try to find one, okay?
zombies cant survive in the cold right? like on youtube people say they are going to the south pole to live intil things get better. but without doing all of that mumbo-jumbo why cant they just stay over winter? cause its been under freezing and below 32 degrees. is it possible? could they live through this cold icey weather? or is it not cold enough. but anyways whats more possible? toxic going into graves or a chemical spray that revives tissue in people? please tell me about both of thee things i was just talking about. but only isf your a genuis and you know alot about the living dead. peace out and peace around the world for gerations :).
I am, in fact, a genius, so I think I'm qualified to answer your question. (Technically I'm just a genius when it comes to mouthing off to relatives, but still a genius nonetheless.)
Unfortunately, we have very few zombies to run temperature/performance tests on, and so a definitive answer is really beyond our reach. But I would consider the following.
Zombies, not being alive, probably aren't affected by hypothermia, and so any temperatures down to freezing aren't going to protect you.
So, then, what is the freezing point of zombie? I'm guessing your average zombie is at least a little dehydrated, and therefore would be a little saltier than a living person. So let's say that their freezing point is at least a couple degrees below zero (Centigrade). But might there be something else in a zombie that would keep it from freezing? Heat from movement and friction, bacterial activity, an unknown infectious agent or chemical? Difficult to say, difficult to say...
Even so, the average winter temperatures in Antarctica range from -40 to -94 F, and it's difficult to imagine anything that's not producing a large amount of heat, or that was specifically designed to deal with such low temperatures, doing all that well down there. But you know what else has a hard time surviving in Antarctica? Humans.
There's a year-round population of scientists and the like on Antarctica, but they're kept warm and full through large and frequent shipments of supplies. How is that going to work after a zombie apocalypse? (Assuming one could even get to Antarctica after a worldwide catastrophic event.) You can tell those people that they have lost the game.
I'd imagine that if zombies are freezable, you wouldn't have to go so far as Antarctica to take advantage of the weakness. The environment I see out the window would probably do the trick. Again, though, any cold place is going to be more difficult for your modern person to live in without working infrastructure. And who's to say that a zombie wouldn't be up and about again in the spring? If there were something that could bring the dead to life again, what would a few months in the icebox matter?
This is incredible. If you're a genius, JGordon, then I'm the winner of a Ford Foundation Fellowship in Physical Anthropology.
I'm... not sure what you're trying to say here.
Well jgordon what would you do if a zombie apocolypse?I personnaly would get as much food and water and hed into th loft and no-one can get in just me and my family.Every no and then i wud go and check out the windows and if it was clear i would take the car to the shops and fill the car hed back to the loft and weight it out until it all dies down an the authorities kill all of them like in shaun of the dead at the end when they all kill them with miniguns.
Me? I'd probably just die right away.
Weird, right? But, if I'm being honest with myself, I'm not an action hero like most of the people here. I'm mostly just a normal dude, and the vast, grim statistics associated with pandemic disease are composed of normal dudes. Sad.
Well I personally believe "Quarantine/L4D" type outbreaks occur frequently but are covered up. In China they began a mass slaughter of over 50,000 dogs that May have Rabies but had no proof of it... a little extreme eh? They also quarantined an entire town of 10,000 north west of Beijing announcing it had an outbreak of a hIghly contageous "Phumonic Plague" (could be a coverup) Everybody should watch quarantine, if there is a zombie apocalypse I believe it would be those types of zombies. If you were at the high levels of government you would probably want to cover it up how could you even tell people that "oh yeah zombies exist" it would cause mass panic so ofcourse they have to isolate, silence witnesses and coverup mild outbreaks. but in places like China they happen to do it more blatantly becuase they are quite a closed society.... anyway if a virus like that ever emerged Id hope I had somekind of natural immunity... even then Id probably die. But my family have a small yacht our only chance would be to take the yacht and sail out to one of New Zealand's outlying islands.... By the way New Zealand is geographically isolated so id probably hear of a infection/outbreak way before it reached NZ and that would give me time to prepare. Plus governments with biological weapons programs work on weponizing bugs like Rabies etc so i think an outbreak would occur in a target country of the nation launching the biological attack or an incident in which the nation creating the biological weapon accidently releases it or even releases it on purpose to cull the human population and get them to accept brutal and harsh measures its the most effective way of controlling people, in the interest of health so those Bilderberg group members/Elite class of the world who have thier top secret underground bunkers can be safe and rule over a traumatized population with RFID chips in thier hands...... and yes I think about this stuff alot :P
I will cover two different angles, infection and reanimation.
In reanimation/parasite scenario, the human body would have no body heat. People living in subartic and artic regions would likely be safe, due to the human body consisting of ~70% water, a zombie would become slow and eventually, frozen in place. Furthermore it would have a low need of oxygen, so a shallow-water island would not be safe. However remote islands would likely be unaffiliated due to the immense pressures of ocean bottoms. Decay would eventually set in and numbers of zombies would decline within 6 months.
In an viral infection scenario, there would likely be a vaccine, however if it were a RNA virus it would have to be remade every year for each new mutation. Furthermore, subartic and artic locations are far apart and have small populations normally. Islands would be safe so long as the water surrounding them are deep and wide enough for a person not swimming or holding their breath to drown. They would be dependent on eating, and therefore would eventually succumb to starvation once their primary food supply ceases. (thats us humans)
These would normally be the best places to go, so long as you are not dependent on technology. Your best bet in a zombie apocalypse is to shed your want of electricity, at least until it has died off.
As far as weapons and armor goes, your best bet is to be light. Polycarbonate plating (the stuff sport shinguards and forearm guards are made of) would be good, but if none is available thick clothing such as multiple layers of coats would be acceptable. A real zombie would not have a stronger bite than a normal person would, so something that could stop your teeth will stop a zombie's teeth.
wear face protection. If a zombie's blood were to enter your eyes, nose, or mouth, you would likely become afflicted.
Canned food and bottled water are a must.
Infection scenario could transmit to animals too, so watch out for strangely acting animals. In fact, a mutated rabies virus would be the most likely "naturally" occurring zombie virus.
Guns create noise. Crossbows and melee weapons would be better choices in most situations, or at least used a silenced weapon (or in the case of a weapon unable to take a silencer, use a flash suppressor) otherwise the muzzle flash and bang of the gun will reveal your location and lead a whole lot of tangos to your position.
Chainsaws... not so great. Run on a power source, electricity or gasoline, both of which would quickly become a rarity. Iron pipe, machetes, axes, large pieces of wood, hammers, etc. are all better options. Furthermore a chainsaw creates a LOT of noise, which would lead zombies to your location.
Avoid roadways, if possible, travel in open fields or woods, both of which would be advantageous, as likely zombies would be unable to climb tall trees and in grasslands you would be able to both see them and avoid them.
I know this was a bit lengthy but these are a few points you should consider.
Post new comment