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Zombie Science


Got a theory about how the living dead do it? Contribute to any of the sub-pages!

Remember - this isn't an exact science. Your gut instincts are as good as any book out there!

What We Know

We've got the basics covered - zombies are "undead" and they are quite "bite-y." Beyond that, we have nothing but speculation. That makes your guess as good as ours.

What Do We Need More Information On?

Just about everything! Illuminate us with your insights on any of these topics:

  • What kind of psychological impact will living in a zombie overrun world have on you? Add to our research by answering a few questions about life with zombies.
  • What kind of zombie experiments should be run when we have our first zombie subjects?
  • Where do zombies originate from? Are they voodoo, superstition, meteor`s or is there a physiological explanation? Read Origin of the Zombie.



Not Convinced that Zombie Science is Important?


Read this from betterdeadthanundead. He uses the zombie diet example to illustrate the value of knowing your enemy.

"What Zombies Eat
The zombie that's closing in on you... he looks hungry. But what sort of palate does he have? Is he a basic carnivore - ready and willing to eat anything, as long as it's flesh? Or does he veer towards the gourmet... the delicacy - does he long for brains and brains alone? One might say, "What difference does it make? He wants to eat me! Neither choice is really all that comforting." But is this the case?
If the zombie will eat any manner of flesh - meat, bones, brains, organs, etc. - then what draws him to it? Is it the smell given off by humans? Is it a pheromone? Is his desire to feast on a living human a means to satisfy his hunger, or does he know instinctively that by biting a human, he continues his species? In either case, he seems to be driven by instinct, not intellect. But what if his sole desire is to eat living human brains? We are again faced with the question, how does he know what he wants and how does he find it? It seems unlikely that the zombie can smell the brains inside our heads, but that does not make it impossible. Assuming that most zombies did not eat human brains while they were alive, how would they know that they wanted to eat them as a zombie, and how would they know how to track down living human brains once they became zombies?
Why does the zombie hunger so? Since undeath presumably stops all normal biological processes pertaining to maintaining the body as a living organism, one would assume that eating as a means or survival would be eliminated. Does the zombie's rotting brain constantly send it hunger pains, making it constantly search for a means to satiate its need for fulfillment? This seems unlikely, given the zombie's disregard for other forms of nourishment. He could sit down with a box of Oreos and skip all that chasing and fighting for a mouthful of little Billy or little Sally. So he is clearly drawn to human flesh; presumably only living human flesh as we don't see zombie's attacking each other. (If we can someday isolate what draws them to the living, we might be able to block their reception of this signal. We might be able to turn it into a chemical agent that we can crop dust an infested area, thus making the zombies turn on each other...)

Whether the zombie on your heels wants only your brains, or will settle for your flesh, we must determine why he wants it, and we must determine how he knows where you are. The science that takes place in the early days of the plague will be invaluable to the survival of the human race. The questions raised here and elsewhere must be answered if we are to win the war."




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Keyword tags: science theories zombies
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Dirge Zombies don't attack each other... why? (page: 1 2) 27 Tuesday, 11:03 PM EDT by Dvergamali
Thread started: May 2 2008, 4:14 PM EDT  Watch
This is probably a dead end thing but since I haven't found a discussion about it I might as well say it. Why do zombies feast on the flesh of the living yet when there's no food to be found, not turn on each other?
Is there some sort of chemical or phermone these new zombies excreat?-Mmm zombie smell nice
Does the virus direct the zombie more manually, steering the host toward more potential targets rather than the infected?-don't go that way stupid!
Are they just picky eaters, and just prefer the flesh of the living?-Hotsauce anyone?
Or are they a more alien version of the virus, like the borg or zerg, haveing a collective "hivemind"?-We are the Zomg...^^
Do they hold onto some loyal part of their minds that makes cannibalism of infected as bad as humans eating humans?-I'll only bite once Jimmy, now close your eyes.
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ZEROFLY Zombies / Brains 3 Monday, 7:18 AM EDT by Dvergamali
ZEROFLY
Thread started: Feb 18 2008, 6:51 PM EST  Watch
Zombies do not go after brains. Get that out of your head. They will eat and munch on anything they see. Remember, when you see zombies feasting on another person, it's because they couldn't get away from the horde of undead. That person will not become a zombie. He is dead. The only reason more zombies appear, is because someone is bit, and then gets away and hides somewhere safe. This gives the virus a chance to kill the host and re-animate it. A zombie won't just go up to someone, bite them, and then walk away. A zombie wants to feed, and if it can, it will. Regardless of the virus inside.
I hope you find this bit of information useful.
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thatgunskid i strongly beleive in the Max Brooks Theory. 13 Apr 23 2008, 5:32 PM EDT by Kelen_Moonhunter
thatgunskid
Thread started: Jan 31 2008, 8:06 PM EST  Watch
as the title says, i beleive in max's theory.
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Dmurl5 Nice Info 4 Apr 16 2008, 5:50 PM EDT by omalley365
Dmurl5
Thread started: Feb 15 2008, 12:01 PM EST  Watch
Great stuff here, and also, I've always wondered. Lets just say the "virus" can go cross species. Wouldn't the end of humanity be an infected mosquito?
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omalley365 infection 0 Apr 15 2008, 6:47 PM EDT by omalley365
Thread started: Apr 15 2008, 6:47 PM EDT  Watch
the blood will coagulate in a matter of days making it a lot less of a threat.
they digustive system stop working they plus do not drink water and since nothing else works why would they continue producing spit
the virus is given though body fluid am i missing something
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