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Jun 2 2008, 4:48 PM EDT Andering_J_REDDSON 181 words added
May 31 2008, 10:43 PM EDT Angel_956 21 words added, 2 words deleted

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How zombies hone in on the living is still widely debated. Frankly, it seems Land of the Dead
more likely that they can feel vibration and movement than that their senses so dependent on the function of the eyes, nose, and ears provide decipherable feedback given how quickly they decay.
More important for this article is WHY bother to attack the living? What drives the desire to bite, maim, and destroy the uninfected?

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Some Kind of Disease Survival Imperative

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iisgray - Zombies obviously attack the living from the instinctual need for food and continuation of their species. They are infected by some kind of virus, and like all other single celled organisms, it is driven to do what it does merely because it's built for it and on instinct. When the virus infects the victim he falls under the virus' whim and the virus needs new fresher hosts, so that's what he goes for. Like most viruses it is built to be able to survive in the human body, otherwise zombies would attack all living entities.
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Bonemill - Well, it could be that the same infection that causes zombification also causes changes in the brain that cause it to somehow try to spread the infection, driving them to chase human victims.

Another added note is that many people seem to view them as hunting as one in a pack and working together. This is false. I couldn't have said this better myself when max brooks states that, "A horde of the undead, regardless of size, regardless of appearance, is nothing more than a mass of individuals."
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Lord_Pipechair - I would like to offer the hypothesis that the undead "hunger" for flesh is controlled by the virus itself, rather than just entirely a primordial "instinct to feed." Viruses require a host cell in order to survive, replicate, and eventually spread to other cells. We do know that the zombie virus is spread from human to human via a bite, fluid exchange, etc., and we know that the zombie is in a state of constant hunger - always trying to bite, kill, and eat new human prey. My assumption is that the virus itself orchestrates these attacks by taking over and activating the hunger center of the brain (located in the hypothalamus), thus creating a sensation within the zombie to constantly feed and, consequently, spread the virus.

In short: Virus needs to spread to stay alive, virus activates hunger instinct in zombie, zombie bites/eats victim and spreads virus, rinse and repeat.

Granted, there are the cases where the zombie (or group of zombies) will completely devour a victim and thus prevent re-animation, but I feel this to be only an unintended side effect. The zombie itself isn't "aware" that it's spreading a virus, only that it needs to continue to feed.

It's also been noted that zombies will, on occasion, attack non-human prey, but it seems that the virus very rarely takes effect on these victims. Incompatible genetic material between animal hosts and the virus (that is, the virus may not be able to "read" Fido's genetic code and thus can't replicate within those cells) could play a factor, but I'm sure that further research will shed more light on this matter.
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Peanutman27 - I believe that the virus itself is what needs to infect other living tissue it takes control of the mind and works from there..... thats why its constantly hungry it might have been a biological weapon at one time...they made a smart virus to take control of the enemy and seek out the other rest....thereby not using or putting in danger any of our troops... but something went wrong and here we are.
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ZEROFLY - Remember what we're talking about here people. The Undead. Until this actually happens, you really can't say anyone is right or wrong, we all have our opinions. What I say though, is that the virus alters the human body and mind, killing the host, and then re-animating them. This in itself is not hard to believe at all. The brain is alive long after the body is dead, so for a virus to do this to us, I don't think it is hard for us to believe. A person is infected, almost a day later they will have died and then rise again running on basic primal needs. Although the virus controls the host, its main purpose is to sustain itself. A virus does not require oxygen to survive, and not all living things on Earth do. The virus instead controls and manipulates the muscles in the body, and forces them to move. The fact that a zombie will rot away, is proof enough that it does not consume any oxygen, or that it has any means to protect itself from bacteria in the air. Now, you may be asking that if they do not breath, then why or how do they moan? A simple answer. Air still rushes through the body and through the diaphragm, causing the moan, but no oxygen is taken in. The moan is caused, simply because the lungs still inflate and deflate at random, causing the intake of air, but since the body is dead, nothing is there to absorb the oxygen. Now what about food and the way the undead feed? Well, my best guess is that it is all primal instinct, something the virus cannot stop or alter. Although, I don't think it would want to stop it, because a bite or a scratch is the only way to infect another person and spread the virus further. It wants the host to attack, what it can't help is the eating part. There is no reason for a zombie to eat. What is left of the host is being sustained by the virus, and the host gains no energy or nutrition from this task. Eating in fact, causes more harm than good. Continuous eating will result in the stomach ripping apart, and this could potentially stop the zombie in its tracks. Or not. How do they spread the virus? Simple. During initial infection, the virus spreads throughout the bloodstream infecting all of the blood cells and basically everything in the body, creating a toxic, walking person. This occurs until the virus reaches the brain, where it begins to do damage, and eventually kills and re-animates the body. This is why a person can be infected by getting scratched or by getting fluids into their body. The main mode of infection is through a bite, of course.
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Sporezombie - When dealing with an organism that we have no test subject to test on we really have to try to guess from what we do know. The idea of the primal need to feed has one big flaw - never in our history have we ever had an instinct to feed. I think the virus through it's reproductive cycle of destroying the frontal brain damages the part of the brain that determines what is food and what's not. So the zombie eats anything that is meat. One problem I have always had with the idea of having no energy intake is that it can right so my theory is that the bacteria that cause decay in humans are quickly consumed by the virus as food thus killing two birds with one stone. The virus gets food and has a longer lasting host. Another possible source of energy is that the virus devours itself if a cell breaks down the virus cells around it recycle its parts.
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Doxkid - Hmm, I've always seen infection as a super bacteria or fungus reacting with chemicals in our body. Our immune system would decimate all but something able to overcome it, then mutate, so it might be a prion (Protien version of a virus) That doesn't react with certain chemicals in isolated parts of the brain. Think mad cow disease, only worst. Now then, once it actually infects a person( or possibly an animal, or even virus or bacteria if we are really unlucky) A continued reaction starts, traveling down nerves. People with cold sores (Herpes in a mild form. Its so common, you might have it already. Hell, you usually get it from your parents accidentally passing a tiny bit of herpes ooze to you as a baby, simply by tasting baby food then feeding you) might have an oral reaction to it, destroying passively infected cells and any cells already infected by A virus. This part is vital, as there are MILLIONS of minor viruses and variations of them in us, when we seem healthy.

Anyway, once it starts reacting, it may high jack the basic fluid production, like salvatory glads, mucus glads maybe bone marrow. Beyond that, the brain, which quickly gets fried by the simple Mad Cow disease, is being broken down from the outside in. The outside is the 'higher' thinking part. Actual thought, some motor skills, etc can be found of the edge and 'primitive' parts like anger, instinct and the similar are found in the deeper parts.As said somewhere here, it could not effect or even aid the part of the brain that controls anger and hostility, possibly making it grow to take up the new space from other parts breaking down.

And thus, we get Dawn of the Dead zombies. It CAN run, if the function is etched firmly enough in the person. A child would probably run, if they are about seven, but not much earlier. An athlete would probably run. Middle aged adults in America, almost definitely wont run, and the elderly might not be able to move at all. Men, who inherently have faster developing muscles, might run at higher ages, while women might be more cunning (relatively speaking. Women are more lucky in this department, at the cost of being physically weaker, in most cases. However, women also have more 'cluster' instincts. You see one woman zombie, start hauling ass, since there are probably three behind you and two above you. And thats both before they start drawing attention to the area with zombie moans and before the collent in real groups. a town is a full zombie pack.

Undead zombies...I'm not touching that. Don't know how, so unless a wizard did it, I've got nothin'.
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Instinct

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A Observer's View - Don't yell at me, but I'm going just by Max Brooks and none of the fast zombies or I.A.L. mutants (thats right, they're technically not zombies). Please contradict me at my every thought but in a constructive way. Of course everything everybody says is purely hypothetical. =P
As has been said many times that higher brain function ceases*. If this is true then the connections to other areas would be rendered useless and open to reconnect and rewire. If the virus is as complicated as I believe it may use these new wires to reinforce the remaining functions**. This is where the tree branches. Either it was: engineered to support genetic memories, the senses, and the instinct of hunger; or it evolved those controlling habits as they evolved as favorable actions to this otherwise un-infectious disease. As a side note I believe most zombies would be women, men would fight and be torn to pieces while woman would run and die of infection or try to hold onto the thought a family member would still exist someway.
*The virus stops decay, but can't stop the natural breakdown without oxygen immediately. As the body dies it shuts off in layers, the inner brain last.
**If decay still continues or they can't be chemically cleaned it would make sense to have backups as some die.
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Bundy747 - I believe the will to hunt the living boils down to natural instinct. If you break it down zombies really don’t need to eat. Their digestive functions have stopped, therefore they don't have real hunger…or at least hunger in the way we experience it.

Deep rooted natural instincts of survival and hunting prey long since dormant in a normal human are heightened in zombies. The virus takes over the brain, mutates it, and forms basically for all intensive purposes a new species of humans with one goal…hunting.

Whtwlf - The "life cycle" of the zombie closely mimics the cycle of a virus: attachment (restraining a new host), penetration (biting the host) and replication (virus or parasite flooding into the new host). A similar cycle in nature would be Leucochloridium paradoxum, which causes an infected snail to seek out a new host to infect.
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Starvation


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SGT629 - Another theory for the zombie's hunger is starvation. When a living human goes without sustenance the outer brain (capable of "higher" thoughts such as feeling/emotion/logic) shuts down leaving the core brain (Functions on only the level of survival i.e. food). Is it possible that whatever causes a zombie to exist only turns on the inner core brain making them unable to recognize anything but living things as food? Max Brooks states that zombies have no need for food but will keep eating for some reason, Perhaps it is psychological like the "vampires" in the book I am Legend.

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Cylon1994 - What if it's because humans are the easiest target? We are everywhere. We have the most control over our planet. For example it was suggested in Max Brooks' "Zombie Survival Guide" that other creatures where able to avoid zombies because they had a "6th sense" and that they would run away. We don't have that. And why not us I mean in half the theories people believe it's man made. Why attack the people who created you. It's all Human Nature.
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Reactions to the Living (or Lack Thereof)

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Bundy747 - I believe they can sense infected by smell or other heightened senses.
When left alone or surrounded by other infected zombies they tend to just stand around or wander aimlessly. If you look at the opening sequence to Day of the Dead the city seems abandoned until the survivors start calling out over a megaphone.

They are ultimately attracted by the sound and alerted to the possibility of prey. Zombies don’t need food….with no victims around they’ll just wait…and wait...and wait some more. After all what do they care, they cant tell time!


well just to say that i do not understand any of the concepts so here go's. i believe that zombies eat any sort of meat so they can counteract their deterioration. and that the newly turned ones eat meat so they will never deteriorate. and some zombies which i call the Einstein's still have about 73 percentage of there former brain's and they know as a fact that if they eat brains then they would get smarter and soon become smarter than us then make a cure.so pretty much i say that zombies eat flesh and brains so they will not deteriorate and get smart enough to make a cure and they need to eat the flesh so when they make the cure they will look normal when they are cured.note that the Einstein zombies would have needed to be turned before burial and the zombies that turned them did not eat the brains.
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DevilMayCrye - It would depend on what caused them to become undead. If it was a parasite, it could actually be them tracking the humans. If it is a disease, then it would be the urge to infect. It all depends on what caused it.
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DiabloZ - VIRUSES ARE STUPID!!! as in they can't make you do something or have the intelligence to animate your body. The Parasite theory, however, is frighteningly plausible. I was watching a National Geographic program I saw something that startled me, a parasitic worm that when inside an insect or small animal it actually controlled its mind by forcing it to jump into water(not joking). This is because the worm must be in water where it releases itself and eggs. The way it does this is it mimics some of the body's natural proteins that send signals to the brain via the nervous system. The worm is very large in comparison to its host, in a human it would be like having a 30ft long water hose inside your body. You may be asking what this has to do with zombies hunting living... and I have an answer, what if the worm adapted to live in humans and instead of reproducing in water it reproduced by getting its eggs into the bloodstream and salivary glands, then instead of making its host thirst for water it could make it hunger for flesh then the eggs would enter the bitten persons blood stream repeating the cycle.This hunger for flesh would be so great it would override your will to live and any personal wants. The only reason I see for them not attacking other zombies is the same reason that wolves and other predators don't attack extremely sick animals. They can somehow sense it.
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Cylon1994 - In "World War Z" by Max Brooks they interviewed an Australian Astronaut that witnessed a first "Zombie Holes" where a zombie would find a creature to attack and it would do whatever it could to obtain the food. More Specifically the Zombie Searched for "burrowing creatures. Thus they dug for days until they had a large hole constructed and had lost the sent and then I imagine if it got deep enough they got stuck in the hole until it rained and the zombies were buried dead.


See also:

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Andy REDDSON:
I for one do not believe skin jobs attack “only” the living; That they will prey on each other at some point.
Initially, of course, they go after Humans because either they prefer fresh meat (perhaps the infection makes them unpalatable in some fashion), or because they operate in a normal predator methodology; You don’t attack a bigger dog if you can avoid it. Therefore, and this will be a highly controversial idea, skin jobs develop a hierarchy of strength. The biggest dog (strongest skin job) rules a larger body. The “biggest” dog in this case will likely be literally that, physically strongest, though it may be the smartest (such as the Skin Job General of Land of the Dead).
However, eventually the lack of ‘fresh meat’ will lead the skin jobs to turn on each other, literally eating their own kind, until either they can access new resources, or create new skin jobs, such as penetrating a perimeter, either by pure force of numbers or by careful strategic planning (crossing the River Impenetrable in LOTD).


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