ForumsWEPRPossibility of zombification?

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Llamasushi
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Llamasushi
102 posts
Peasant

Scientific evidence has been given for the possibility of reanimating the dead. I found some articles discussing this and I thought that were quite interesting. There might be some coarse language within the article. (This is a copy of the real version which contained quite a lot of graphic images that I deemed inappropriate for younger viewers :P)
It is from a humour site, which I find quite ironic. Maybe I take things too seriously?

5 Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen

Basically this article mentions 5 reasons that the zombification could actually happen:

1. Nano-bots
2. Neurogenesis
3. Viruses
4. Neurotoxins
5. Parasites

Also, an article from New Scientists identifying the boundary between life and death:

The Boundary Between Life and Death

Basically, there is a brain wave that occurs within patients when the neurons stop functioning (which is oversimplifying it) :P
If this effect could be reversed, wouldn't the dead once again be, "alive"?

Anyway, based on these two articles, theoretically, wouldn't the possibility of zombification be quite high?

  • 27 Replies
BillyCrash100
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BillyCrash100
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Nomad

I read another article months before and it said that the virus actually uses the body as a shell. Once someone is infected, it takes around 24 hours for the virus to kill the victim, and get its body...But if the brain is shot, the zombie dies.

nichodemus
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nichodemus
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Grand Duke

I read another article months before and it said that the virus actually uses the body as a shell. Once someone is infected, it takes around 24 hours for the virus to kill the victim, and get its body...But if the brain is shot, the zombie dies.


Uh-huh. What virus? The one in the article?
partydevil
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partydevil
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Jester

i readed number 1 and number 5 and both don't seem to be very serius.
atleast 1 isn't serius at all and i clicked a link in number 5 that brought up a actual sciene site. they where more talking about schizofrenia and those kinda modifications by parasites whit examples as fish jumping out the water. rats that are not scared of cats anymore. and that they have made a jump forward making a cure against these parasites. (atleast against the 1 causing schizofrenia)
they did not talk about zombie BS

stephenking
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stephenking
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Nomad

Number three seems the most likely, because they aren't talking about the undead. They're talking about where the infected displays similarities to real zombies. I've been polishing my baseball bat waiting for it, because sooner or later there's going to be an apocalypse.

HahiHa
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HahiHa
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Regent

Basically, there is a brain wave that occurs within patients when the neurons stop functioning (which is oversimplifying it) :P
If this effect could be reversed, wouldn't the dead once again be, "alive"?

Not really. Dead is dead. There's surely the possibility to shortly stimulate some left-over intact neurons, but basically after death the brain is too damaged to be able to function as it did during life. The option "raising the dead", meaning resurrecting corpses, is IMO pure fantasy.

There are parasites who are able to induce certain behaviours to animals, like the parasite (forgot the name) who lives inside sheep intestines, lays eggs that are passed from the feces to snails and then to ants, where they hatch and one worms 'sacrifices' itself by going into the ant brain and making the ant go up grass tips every night, so that the ant and the surviving worms get eaten by sheeps with the grass etc. But even this isn't really zombie in the 'walking dead' sense, it's just fiddling with the ants brain, not even totally controlling it.

In the end, although I agree there are interesting and serious approaches to the matter, there's no actual possibility to get 'real' zombies anyhow.
thepunisher93
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thepunisher93
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Nomad

I dont think this possible but just for fun read Zombie survival guide.

MageGrayWolf
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MageGrayWolf
9,462 posts
Farmer

i readed number 1 and number 5 and both don't seem to be very serius.


The whole list isn't actually very serious since it's taken from the joke site cracked.com.
crazyape
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crazyape
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Peasant

Hm. Well, ever heard of Neuro synapsis...? And, if said parasite took control of the body VIA the nervous center, which is in the brain, wouldn't it stand to reason that through the back bones, said parasite could control the muscles in the body? The host would have to be brain dead, but not physically dead. In effect, just like a car without a driver.

partydevil
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partydevil
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Jester

evry time i read the sentence &quotarasite takes controle of the body" it makes me think about "the mand in black" movie where aliens realy take over some1's body. (it makes me smile =P )

in real life parasites are not able to take full controle over a body =)
even tho they do have a big effect. and are able to let the host do things that it normaly would never do. but it's not total control.

The whole list isn't actually very serious since it's taken from the joke site cracked.com.


i c now.
Epic563
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Epic563
166 posts
Nomad

I actually think "zombification" seems possible. The most realistic form of zombification would be in the Walking Dead, where it was thought of as just a virus, but it turned the city of Atlanta into nightmare (not to mention plenty of other places.)

However, it didn't take over the entire world, because people usually get diseases from countries they visit.

darklichxan
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darklichxan
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Nomad

I dont think it is possible because there are no scientific proof of zombies and there are no such thing as zombies. If there are Post on my wall i will believe you then.

kingofkings1
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kingofkings1
21 posts
Nomad

I agree with...whatever this guy above mes name is, what would be the uses of such a virus, diesease, etc. etc.? War? Even if they did find a way to make "zombies", how would they be able to control them?

HahiHa
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HahiHa
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Regent

in real life parasites are not able to take full controle over a body =)
even tho they do have a big effect. and are able to let the host do things that it normaly would never do. but it's not total control.

Exactly, they can at best induce certain behaviours, but in the end it's the organism who still executes everything.

I actually think "zombification" seems possible. The most realistic form of zombification would be in the Walking Dead, where it was thought of as just a virus, but it turned the city of Atlanta into nightmare (not to mention plenty of other places.)

This... no, this doesn't seem realistic.

Yes, scientists are stupid, but they're not stupid enough to cause zombification. They're not that stupid...

I would dare to say that scientist are no more stupid than other people, if even less. Those who misunderstand science and make weird stuff with it, those are stupid, sure.
nichodemus
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nichodemus
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Grand Duke

but pointlessly cloning sheep just to prove that they could is stupid.


First of, I would like to clarify the difference between the kind of stupidity that causes harm, and the stupidity that is harmless, but just makes one roll your eyes.

Secondly, cloning sheep was one of the first step towards cloning tech.You don't start cloning humans directly, you test it out on animals first, then move on to humans.

They have alternate fuel sources, yet they continue to use fossil fuels and radioactive nature damaging uranium and plutonium.


Alternative fuels have their limitations. Solar energy requires a place with much sunlight all year round for example. It isn't the scientist that is stupid, but the people who use the products.

Furthermore, nuclear power is much cleaner compared to fossil fuels. Furthermore, many nuclear plants convert a majority of their waste into renewable forms of fuel, hence reusing them.

That makes no sense.... Some scientists are just stupid.


When one makes a discovery, one cannot foretell all the consequences of the discovery. It isn't a question of stupidity.
HahiHa
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HahiHa
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Regent

No. They've done loads of stupid things. Genetically modifying crops so that they don't die as easily makes sense, but pointlessly cloning sheep just to prove that they could is stupid. Then they invented cars, but they pollute! Nobody even realised straight away! How stupid must the scientists be? They have alternate fuel sources, yet they continue to use fossil fuels and radioactive nature damaging uranium and plutonium. That makes no sense.... Some scientists are just stupid. Intelligence doesn't necessarily spawn common sense...

Meh... you said the important thing: some scientists. Some are stupid, granted. As much as a whole lot of non-scientists are stupid as well. I'm just saying, being scientist doesn't influence that; like Georges Brassens sang: "Quand on est con, on est con" ('When you're a dork, you're a dork'.

Then they invented cars, but they pollute! Nobody even realised straight away! How stupid must the scientists be? They have alternate fuel sources, yet they continue to use fossil fuels and radioactive nature damaging uranium and plutonium.

Aww, how cute and naive :3 never heard anything of lobbies and industries, eh?

Intelligence doesn't necessarily spawn common sense...

This I must somehow agree with...
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