The Science of Zombies

[rory o'kane]

Right, here goes. First of all, I know there are no such things as zombies, but for the sake of discussion, lets assume such creatures exist.
I am talking about George A. Romero/ Resident Evil/ World War Z style Zombies (i.e. caused by a virus). what I want to know is, how, physiologically/biochemically they could conceivably work in the frame of current science (i.e. no hocus-pocus or voodoo, or necromancy)
Basically, I'm a big fan of the Zombie Survival Guide and the sequel World War Z, and was wondering if anyone else had any plans for the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse...?
(only kidding!)
DISCUSS!

[neoptolemos]

A non-dead creature is difficult to exist,but "zombie" in a meaning of a mental situation...well look around you

[rory o'kane]

I'll give you that , but seriously - how could a zombie conceivably... work?

[André Masséna]

I'm the largest Romero fan. Come to think of it, I'd better re-watch dawn (original) tonight to get back in touch with my passion.
I will be watching this thread.

[Sidmen]

The only real possibility of a zombie would be to have the virus hijack a person's control system (Nervous system). If the virus could take that over, it could essentially run the human body like a machine (since it could ignore pain and most damage). But this wouldn't create the fictional zombie, since the zombie would still need its heart and at least the majority of its internal organs, or it would die.

[neoptolemos]

How a virus could take control of a nervous system?
The only think a virus can do is
a.The reproduce itself by made cell organeles work for him"Lytic cycle"
b.Adhere it's genetical material(DNA or RNA) to cell's genetical material "Lysigonia"

Central Nervous System Nerve cells has lost the ability to reproduce themselfs,thus it seems really hard fro me the "control" to happen....

[Broken Pope]

The technology is not yet 'out there' (as far as we know!) but it is theoretically possible to remotely-control a person electronically.

You would need a body that was not so badly decomposed that the nerve-tissue had broken down. You would also need to ensure the respiratory system was intact so that the muscle-contractions were powered.

It gets a bit more complicated if you plan on controlling your zombie for anything more than a few minutes. If the body's digestive system (and all the sophisticated associated processes) are not in place, your zombie will quickly run out of fuel. Tissue damage (including the microscopic tearing that accompanies everyday activities) will not be being repaired unless your body-control is more-or-less absolute.

By the time this kind of technology comes along, it will be far simpler (and less ethically problematic) to just use a robot.

[rory o'kane]

I see that no one has read the Zombie Survival Guide, then...

[Hounf of Culan]

I'm no scientist, so allow me to just spew forth random science stuff that might explain zombies To start, I think the human body, or any other large mammal is just too complex to be controlled by a foreign power/virus of some sort. Maybe if some virus could change our body so that we replicate cells much faster, we could have zombie like damage resistance. Though our bodies would probably need a tone more food for that high metabolism. Also maybe if the virus could like increase the amount of adrenaline available to our bodies by like a factor of 10, we could be up all night and running around with our faces cut off. I mean, insurgents nowadays in Iraq are notorious for shrugging off multiple direct hits from small arms fire because they are so ing jacked up on adrenaline shots. mmmmkay, yah after reading my own post, i think insane amounts of Adrenaline are the way to go without seriously changing our physical structure.

[neoptolemos]

Adrenaline it is used as a medication in critical conditions such extremely low blood pressure and cardiac arrest.A human seriously injured and losing blood is really impossible to maintain even his consiousness despite the use of adrenaline.
Cause ok adrenaline will make vasoconstriction and tone the heart but what about the lost blood volume?(hypovolaimia).

[Hounf of Culan]

I have no idea about that stuff, I just know that adrenaline can be used to keep humans alive after suffering normally fatal injuries.

[neoptolemos]

I have no idea about that stuff, I just know that adrenaline can be used to keep humans alive after suffering normally fatal injuries.

Recently i was studying about human pain and i find out that in a war situation it is shown that the feeling of pain is significally reduced compared to civilians

[Mythos]

I guess you would need some process that will deactivate rational thinking (if this thing is even possible), all sorts of feelings including pain, and create some kind of actual bloodlust. But then again, if you deactivate rational thinking and the feeling of pain, the person would just run to some direction and keep going until it hits a wall and dies trying to keep going...

[Stalins Ghost]

"When there's no more room in hell, the dead shall walk the Earth!"

[boofhead]

I saw a documentary about the experience of physical pain. When people suffer horrendous injuries, e.g. leg torn off by a shark, arm munched in an industrial machine, the body has an amazing way of dealing with it. The pain response is dulled and the adrenaline kicks in to enable a person to survive. The doco gave an example of how painful it is to have a fingernail ripped out or a hammer blow crack your elbow - absolute agonizing pain, and yet not life threatening, so the excruciating pain is felt, maybe through only a small bunch of nerves. But if massive injury is suffered, the equivalent pain of a great deal of nerves sending pain signals to the brain would render a person unfit for anything, let alone saving their own life or getting help.

So basically, the body has a natural safeguard regarding pain signals. Lesser injuries will generally cause more pain than greater, life-threatening ones.

[Gelgoog]

I saw a documentary about the experience of physical pain. When people suffer horrendous injuries, e.g. leg torn off by a shark, arm munched in an industrial machine, the body has an amazing way of dealing with it. The pain response is dulled and the adrenaline kicks in to enable a person to survive. The doco gave an example of how painful it is to have a fingernail ripped out or a hammer blow crack your elbow - absolute agonizing pain, and yet not life threatening, so the excruciating pain is felt, maybe through only a small bunch of nerves. But if massive injury is suffered, the equivalent pain of a great deal of nerves sending pain signals to the brain would render a person unfit for anything, let alone saving their own life or getting help.

So basically, the body has a natural safeguard regarding pain signals. Lesser injuries will generally cause more pain than greater, life-threatening ones.

the word you looking for is shock, when recieving a massive physical or psychological blow the body goes into shock. the reason you dont feel pain so much is because the body is shutting down non vital systems in a last gap measure to keep you alive, this includes pain for the most part.

[neoptolemos]

the word you looking for is shock, when recieving a massive physical or psychological blow the body goes into shock. the reason you dont feel pain so much is because the body is shutting down non vital systems in a last gap measure to keep you alive, this includes pain for the most part.

Well short of...a major role on not feeling the pain play the "endorfins"-"engephalins" substances similar to opioid drugs(such as morfin ).As the name says(enkephalines/εγκεφαλίνες....εγκέφαλος/enkephalos=brain in Greek)these substances are natural human sedatives and broduced in brain in such a critical situation (as correctly was mentioned) as shock is

[neoptolemos]

I am aware of the facts and the documentary is correct.

Pain is the basic symptom of the human body and it's nature is not entirely known(although physiologic and neurological studies have gave us a lot of useful information)

[Georgy Zhukov]

No it wouldnt if you had a dead Zombie by logic it would almost completely decompose in a couple of weaks or the muscles would at least, or the brain

[neoptolemos]

Actually we have gone a little of topic......