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Location: The Science of the Zombie Virus
Discussion: The T-Virus
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LordNephets |
The T-Virus
Dec 5 2009, 12:22 AM EST
I've been thinking about the possible science of a Zombie virus for years, and I've looked at many sources, this is what I came up with.First of all, a parasite would be unable to cause this type of infection, especially if we are looking at a Max Brooks style Zombie, it would be too difficult to spread and survive. The name for my supposed virus is taken from the Resident Evil T-virus, I will now explain. The T-virus gets it's name because of the human immune system, which is made up in part of specialized cells called T-cells and B-cells. While there are many types of both cells, their main functions are as thus. T-cells identify bodily invaders, and B-cells destroy them, in a nutshell. The only way for a virus to be "incurable" is for it to bypass the anti-bodies created by B-cells. Similar to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV which shuts down the immune system, so does the T-virus. The T-virus gets its name for it's main target, the T-cell. The virus attacks, and spawns inside of T-cells, but, what is remarkable about the virus, is that it does not simply destroy the T-cell, it mutates it. While the virus is inside the cell, a series of changes occur because of the exposure to the virus's DNA. The T-cells no longer can recognize the virus as an invader, and tell the B-cells to target normally healthy organs. In this respect, it is much like cancer, and can be often mistaken as such, except that it does not create tumours. After the virus has replicated, the T-cell dies. Meanwhile, B-cells are destroying the human body from the inside out, it primarily targets the areas that receive the most blood flow, the heart and brain. First, the heart dies, this "kills" a person in a similar fashion to a heart attack, which was a common image of those who died in Max Brooks's World War Z. Once the person is dead, however, the virus lives on. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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LordNephets |
1. RE: The T-Virus
Dec 5 2009, 12:31 AM EST
This is when the brain begins its transformation.Without the heart the brain dies, and the virus has successfully used the hosts own body to kill its internal organs. As the brain decays, the virus continues to live in surviving T-cells, and starts a new movement. The brains cerebrum is destroyed, forcing a person to lose all mental activity, making them seem like they are in a coma, or possibly dead. The degredation starts with the frontal and rear cortexes, the areas of sight, and judgment. And slowly begin to degrade the entire system to it's most basic state. In the end, the mind of the zombie is no more advanced than that of a baby. The vision is reduced to color-blindness and blurred shapes, if not total blindness, and the neural connections that would provide feelings, such as pain, are completely withered away. The hearing centers, however are spared of this wrath because they are located closer to the cerebellum and brainstem, which the virus has told the B-cells not to attack. a zombies hearing is good, hence the use of moans as a call, and its attraction to high pitched and loud noises. The Zombie has been reduced to having only it's most basic instinctive thoughts of hunting, the fight or flight reaction is gone. At this point, the Zombie, now completely controlled by the cerebellum and brain stem, can move, but only at a small point, for the neurological systems of the zombie are so decrepit that it is slow and lacks motor skills, nonetheless, you now have a complete zombie that is seemed to never be killed. A Zombies brain is the only target, and the continued life of some Zombies after being hit in the head is proven when a bullet does not fracture the remaining parts of a Zombies brain, in the lower head. Hence why decapitations are best, because blows are closer to the cerebellum, which controls muscle movement. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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LordNephets |
2. RE: The T-Virus
Dec 5 2009, 12:32 AM EST
The B-cells would continue to degrade the body until it rots away, the black ooze given off by a zombie are created by the rotted remains of the T-cells and brain cells after destruction, among other things.
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Tisaga |
3. zombie virus
Feb 28 2010, 2:53 PM EST
what are some signs of the T-Virus and does the T-Virus kill the person or just take over the body and make it do stuff its not supposed to
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Maricely |
4. RE: zombie virus
Feb 28 2010, 11:50 PM EST
"what are some signs of the T-Virus and does the T-Virus kill the person or just take over the body and make it do stuff its not supposed to"The T virus isn't real. Do you find this valuable? |
spiderboenz |
5. RE: zombie virus
Mar 1 2010, 2:56 AM EST
"The T virus isn't real."Neither are zombies. Do you find this valuable? |
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Maricely |
6. RE: zombie virus
Mar 1 2010, 1:36 PM EST
"Neither are zombies."Oh man I guess you put me in my place. Do you find this valuable? |
Shadow_Sukhoi |
7. RE: zombie virus
Mar 1 2010, 4:47 PM EST
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14053Get some scientists to mess with that, we could have a Z-parasite on our hands. Mind you it would be more "28 days later" rager, but close enough for me. Do you find this valuable? |
Knuxz |
8. RE: zombie virus
Mar 1 2010, 6:24 PM EST
Kudos to you, Nephets, for this info packed article. I'm not complaining, but did you come up with this info yourself, or through research of real worlds organisms?
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