PhD Biochemist/Biophysist would like to help on background and continuity
I have never done anything like this before, but I am willing to try it out. I listened to Zombie Survival Guide and found it humorous. Mr. Brooks ideas on Weapons, tactics, etc were entertaining. But, his "biology" of the undead was really lacking. My opinion is that the less suspension of disbelief one has to undertake, the better the story.
For example, in that book, Zombies "feed" but have no reason to do so. Digestive tracks are non-functional. Well, there are work arounds, but unless one believes in Magic or Perpetual Motion Machines, a Zombie must have some sort of basic metabolism. It takes energy (food) to do work (movement).
Decapitation seems to end a zombies (un)life(???). That would indicate that electrical signals must travel from the brain to the muscles. That is a weakness that can be expoited.
We may have lost the first couple of rounds, but it is my belief that Mankind can come back. There are "simply" some problems that need to be solved. If in this sandbox that is "doable" I am happy to help. But, if this is old school gothic literature and there is no way to
Identify
Improvise
Adapt
Overcome
I am not interested in playing. 8 ).
The Truth is out there and it is Knowable,
Josh
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Laz on -
Nice!
I've always thought that the best explanation would be a virus. If a virus can irritate the mucus glands and create a temperature to induce sneeze/coughing to spread to virus to new hosts then it doesn't seem very far fetched for a virus to raise the body temperature enough to cause brain damage and to install a rabid nature similar to rabies. A saliva/mucus containing the virus could be transfered by bite.
A victim would have the appearence of a zombie, ie only basic brain functions, awkward balance but also have a tendency to bite/attack.
From my limited biology knowledge it seems that a virus host would be capable of causing a 'zombism' that would be familiar to us
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Permalink Reply by Slick Joshua on -
OK, virus woks. Viruses are very small. They can not do much on their own. They tend to hijack the host and have it do things.
In many mythos the early symptoms are a a fever. This can damage the brain. But, in addition, the fever is most likely causedby the bodies own immune system. This makes it consistent with typical viruses. But, It also provides a weakness. The fever is caused by the hosts own immune system. It maybe possible to have a full blown immune response and fight off the virus. Since, this is gothic, we do not want to have people get a free ride and get better (or do we?)
So, how about this. People originally infected with the super flu are partially immune to the campion virus. These become runners.
I can do more with this if it is of interest.
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Permalink Reply by Laz on
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Yeah it works nice. The way we have it currently is people infected are turned into '28 days later' rage-style runners, they are not killed by the infection. Only when they are killed in this state to they reanimate and become traditional Romero style slow zombies.
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Permalink Reply by Laz on
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You can also create a group if you wish to develop the science behind the undead angle?
http://www.lostzombies.com/groups/group/new
It could be a place to concentrate members who want to delve into the science
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Permalink Reply by Slick Joshua on
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I did some recon before starting a group. Seems there is one, or very similar. I suggest anyone interested join
http://www.lostzombies.com/group/learningcurve/forum
Slick
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Permalink Reply by Laz on
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Yeah the group is fine if you want to join in that. It is quite general though, if you fancy doing a specific science concentrated group that would definately be useful for the film.
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Permalink Reply by Jericho Syndrome on -
back to the runners, i was thinking more of blood type or immune system on whether the virus kills them right away or not, since the site has always pegged runners as more rare than shammies, then maybe the same about this, the more rare the blood type gets, the more likely the victim becomes a runner. same could be said about there immune system....
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Permalink Reply by Slick Joshua on
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I did not know that. How rare do you want them to be? 1:10, 1:100?
Bloodtype would probably not work. Influenza hit the respiratory track and starts reproducing before getting into the blood supply.
Not everyone would be have gotten the initial flu. Say, 10% of the population. Most of these >90%? would survive. This would leave roughly 1:10 people who become infected with Campion 2.0 turn into runners. The other 9 become shamblers. Runners would decay to become shamblers at some rate.
I am new and do not claim to be setting canon. I am just throwing out ideas.
Slick
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Permalink Reply by Laz on
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There would be a direct correlation with time ie initially there would be large numbers of runners as people are infected in large numbers. As more and more are killed/die of natural reasons then there will be more and more shamblers.
After the initial climax of destruction/fighting it would be safe to assume that shamblers would become the most common.
As far as the super-flu is concerned, that seems to be the initial local cause such as the match to a fire. It isn't spread over vast populations. For example (watch the timeline video) the infections starts as a usual seasonal flu, when the governments realise that it is something else people are quarentined in camp St Teresa (maybe a couple hundred thousand people tops)
When camp St Teresa collapses and the infected are not contained then infection occurs via bites/ transfer of bodily fluids In the US at least this seems to be the end of the superflu as a means of infection.
So small outbreaks start the ball rolling, it is the infected people who then pass on the virus via traditional zombie awesomeness -
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Permalink Reply by Slick Joshua on
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OK, I tried to match the timeline. I guess I did not understand it.
Did St. Theresa ever have Nobel intentions or was it always a quarantine camp?
I made the assumption it starts off as per a hospital, but it is only later that it is infected with zombies.
My assumption
Influenze Seasonal drift leads to Superflu. Superflu gets stronger and is named Campion, but not capable of making zombies. Later Campion mutates again or another trigger is added to the infected that leads to zombies.
Slick -
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Permalink Reply by Jericho Syndrome on
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St. Teresa in public eyes...noble intentions...
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Permalink Reply by Jericho Syndrome on
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as in the feeding part i have a theory that i have bounced around for a while...because im beast like that. since a dead body decomposes *in 1983...roughly...dude had his hand medically 'replaced' by a dead one and it still decomposed despite moving normally* the virus needs nutrients from fresh parts since it cannot make its own, so after the zombie consumes what he has, the virus decomposes it and treats it to replace specific dead tissue and skin areas with it and the longer it goes without food, the more the zombie rots...and in order for the zombie to be...a zombie, the virus needs to take control through the brain *hence the 'aim for the head' situation.....
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