The Science of Zombies (part 1 and 2)
Perhaps because they were easier to control and kill, zombies never acquired the cachet of their undead cousins, the vampires. This phenomenon extended to science: zombie research was considered a less glamorous field and consistently lagged behind vampire research in funding. Since development of the vaccine in 1911, the zombie threat has been greatly reduced. However, this should not make us complacent. Most experts believe that in today's world, a zombie outbreak is far more likely than a vampire outbreak.The Virus
Zombie plague spreaders:
the Norway Rat and the tick (inset)
The zombie virus comes from the same Mononegavirales family as the Human Vampiric Virus. The virus is propagated mainly through ticks of the family Ixodidae. The prevalence of these ticks in tropical climes is the main reason for the large number of outbreaks in those regions. The nature of the spread of zombie plagues generally depended on the place of origin. Most urban plagues were spread by aggressive rats that had been bitten by an infected tick. In the country, the tick would bite humans directly, or pass the virus through mice, raccoons and other animals.
As was the case with vampirism, humans infected with the virus would pass it from their saliva into the bloodstream of another through the bite.
Stages of the Disease
The stages of zombie transformation are the same that occur in vampires, with two major differences: in zombies, the onset of symptoms and transformation occurs much faster and has no relation to the cycles of day and night.
Stage One: Infection. Symptoms of zombie infection appear quickly: within one or two hours, the victim will develop a headache, fever, chills and other flu-like symptoms. Zombie infections last about half as long as their vampiric counterparts, mostly between three and six hours, during which the vaccine is 100 percent effective.
Stage Two: Coma. Zombie comas are considerably more brief than vampiric comas. While physiological changes-slow pulse, shallow breathing-are similar, the coma lasts only between four and six hours. Only the very young and very old do not survive zombie comas. Zombies have been found as young as five years old and as old as 90. As with vampires, the vaccine is 50 percent effective when administered during Stage Two of the infection: the longer the victim has been in the coma, the less effective the vaccine.
Stage Three: Transformation. Zombies awaken from their comas in a catatonic state. They are unresponsive to most stimuli as they shuffle about, trying to locate their prey. Unlike vampires, there is no acclimation period; a zombie will begin hunting immediately upon transformation.1905
Because of their catatonic state, zombies have been unable to offer any personal testimony to augment scientific research. Therefore, all we know about zombies is based upon empirical evidence. A person infected with the zombie virus is transformed into a single-minded hunting machine, with all changes to bodily functions serving the zombie imperative: locate prey, capture prey and feed. Overall, the changes that take place in zombies are more limited and primarily affect the nervous system and the muscular/skeletal system.
Brain/Nervous System
This system has been of great interest to researchers, as zombie nervous tissue appears to have regenerative properties not found in humans.
Spine/nervous system: zombies have exhibited the ability to withstand significant trauma to their central nervous system. In a famous series of experiments conducted by FVZA scientists in 1972, zombies who had their spinal cords severed regained the ability to walk within 24 hours. Thus far, researchers have been unable to unlock the mechanism for this process of repair.Dopamine: the smell of living flesh triggers a large release of this adrenaline-like neurotransmitter into the zombie brain
Zombie plague spreaders:
the Norway Rat and the tick (inset)
The zombie virus comes from the same Mononegavirales family as the Human Vampiric Virus. The virus is propagated mainly through ticks of the family Ixodidae. The prevalence of these ticks in tropical climes is the main reason for the large number of outbreaks in those regions. The nature of the spread of zombie plagues generally depended on the place of origin. Most urban plagues were spread by aggressive rats that had been bitten by an infected tick. In the country, the tick would bite humans directly, or pass the virus through mice, raccoons and other animals.
As was the case with vampirism, humans infected with the virus would pass it from their saliva into the bloodstream of another through the bite.
Stages of the Disease
The stages of zombie transformation are the same that occur in vampires, with two major differences: in zombies, the onset of symptoms and transformation occurs much faster and has no relation to the cycles of day and night.
Stage One: Infection. Symptoms of zombie infection appear quickly: within one or two hours, the victim will develop a headache, fever, chills and other flu-like symptoms. Zombie infections last about half as long as their vampiric counterparts, mostly between three and six hours, during which the vaccine is 100 percent effective.
Stage Two: Coma. Zombie comas are considerably more brief than vampiric comas. While physiological changes-slow pulse, shallow breathing-are similar, the coma lasts only between four and six hours. Only the very young and very old do not survive zombie comas. Zombies have been found as young as five years old and as old as 90. As with vampires, the vaccine is 50 percent effective when administered during Stage Two of the infection: the longer the victim has been in the coma, the less effective the vaccine.
Stage Three: Transformation. Zombies awaken from their comas in a catatonic state. They are unresponsive to most stimuli as they shuffle about, trying to locate their prey. Unlike vampires, there is no acclimation period; a zombie will begin hunting immediately upon transformation.1905
Because of their catatonic state, zombies have been unable to offer any personal testimony to augment scientific research. Therefore, all we know about zombies is based upon empirical evidence. A person infected with the zombie virus is transformed into a single-minded hunting machine, with all changes to bodily functions serving the zombie imperative: locate prey, capture prey and feed. Overall, the changes that take place in zombies are more limited and primarily affect the nervous system and the muscular/skeletal system.
Brain/Nervous System
This system has been of great interest to researchers, as zombie nervous tissue appears to have regenerative properties not found in humans.
Spine/nervous system: zombies have exhibited the ability to withstand significant trauma to their central nervous system. In a famous series of experiments conducted by FVZA scientists in 1972, zombies who had their spinal cords severed regained the ability to walk within 24 hours. Thus far, researchers have been unable to unlock the mechanism for this process of repair.Dopamine: the smell of living flesh triggers a large release of this adrenaline-like neurotransmitter into the zombie brain
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Darklancer on -
I would like to make a clairification on the decay of zeds, the explaination of feeding needs the reason for the rapid decay. A zeds motabalisim is increased by roughly 300%, that means a human would have to eat 4 times a day and have to wake once during a sleep cycle to eat to gain a heathy growing weight. Zeds unable to gain a continues source of food, rot and decay quickly, weeks to a month at most places a zed in, for their health, a danger zone.
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Permalink Reply by Randy on -
so your telling me that zeds basicly need to eat all the time or there "body" eats itself?
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Permalink Reply by Darklancer on
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Yes, same as a humans body eats itself when your starving, but not as quickly as a zeds would. A humans body has regulators controlled by the brain, a zed has only eat and minor moor functions left so its body is being told to eat all the time.
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Permalink Reply by E on -
Would like to point out that there are other types.
This is not an 'end all' description. -
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Permalink Reply by Darklancer on
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Yes E thats a good point, I never stated this was the one and only universal answer. I have come across two kinds (maybe) of zeds, all slow but one, slow but semi-intelligent (he knew to move away from the red dot!?). Ever found any as such E?
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Permalink Reply by E on
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Found one that knew what dynamite was.
It knew how to set it off. Didn't survive the explosion, but it knew what it was doing. -
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Permalink Reply by Kurt on -
I have a question. I'm not trying to disprove you guys, its all curiosity. Where are you finding these zeds?
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