Science Takes On A Zombie Outbreak
Given my and DelawareDem’s love of The Walking Dead, I had to post this. This is for you, DD!
A team of Cornell University researchers has determined the best place to hide during a zombie apocalypse.
A graduate statistical mechanics class was inspired by a reading of “World War Z,” a fictional oral history of a zombie war, and decided to explore what might happen in an actual zombie outbreak, reported Phys.org.
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He said most films or books assume that a zombie outbreak would affect all areas at the same time, leaving a small pocket of survivors after a few months.
“But in our attempt to model zombies somewhat realistically, it doesn’t seem like this is how it would actually go down,” Alemi said.
Cities would fall quickly, the researchers found, but it would take weeks or even months for zombies to penetrate less densely populated areas.
“Given the dynamics of the disease, once the zombies invade more sparsely populated areas, the whole outbreak slows down,” Alemi said. “There are fewer humans to bite, so you start creating zombies at a slower rate.”
“I’d love to see a fictional account where most of New York City falls in a day, but upstate New York has a month or so to prepare,” he added.
I’d love to see that fictional account, too! It’s one of the things I think about when watching The Walking Dead – Where should they go? I thought the prison made sense, but, alas, nothing good ever lasts on this show (I knew the farm was toast!). I mentioned yesterday that it’s referred to as <i>Misery Porn</i> and that’s extremely accurate. There must be something wrong with me loving this depressing, gory show – a show that portrays humans as the real threat and zombies as simply an obstacle. What does it say when the rustling in the bushes turns out to be a zombie, instead of a human, and everyone sighs with relief?
Mr. Pandora joined the series late, so we’ve been watching the first two seasons so he can catch up. Wow! Re-watching this series reminded me how far we’ve come. Those hopeful, trusting people no longer exist – actually most of them really no longer exist!
So, where did this study say to go to escape the zombie outbreak? The northern Rocky Mountains – altho, the zombies should get there eventually.
I have a zombie question. Will the zombie outbreak eventually die out due to the zombies’ decomposing bodies? Humor me on this. Thanks.
Using zombies as a way to demonstrate the spread of disease, especially in the age of anti-vaxxers, is quite clever.
“A lot of modern research can be off-putting for people because the techniques are complicated and the systems or models studied lack a strong connection to everyday experiences,” he said. “Not that zombies are an everyday occurrence, but most people can wrap their ‘braains’ around them.”
Which, when you think about it, is a sad statement. People understand zombies, but not measles or polio.
Tags: Entertainment, The Walking Dead
Nice!
“Will the zombie outbreak eventually die out due to the zombies’ decomposing bodies?”
No. In the Walking Dead everyone alive is a future zombie because they all are infected. The disease, if you can call it that only arrives when someone dies and the only known “cure” is puncturing the brain. I don’t know where you are in viewing the previous seasons so I’m not going to give you specific examples. But watch closely, people turn just by dying without being bit. The only way to avoid becoming a zombie is staying alive.
Wait! I’m completely up-to-date on the series. Who turned into a zombie without being bit? How did I miss that?
That was the secret that was entrusted to Rick at the CDC. It’s also how the flu caused a zombie outbreak at the prison. AND, why they stab everyone in the head after they die.
Oh… I think I remember. You know, you’d think this event would be a big topic of discussion among the survivors. And… it’s inconsistent.
Season two spoiler (sorta) ahead: On the farm S turns without being bit (so does the guy S kills), but when L died in the prison did they apply the “cure” to her? I don’t remember.
*sigh* Good thing I’m re-watching this series. I obviously missed A LOT.
Yes. Her son did.
Next up for me… re-watching GoT. Can you imagine how much I missed in that series? 😉
Spoiler alert: Winter is coming
You funny.
Here’s a funny comment from the where to move during a zombie outbreak thread: “Well, I’m going to where the Republicans are…no brains…starve those zombies.”
not to mention all the guns they’ll have.
Regard GoT. Even if you have read the books it is very difficult to follow everything and everyone. If you are a fan of politics it makes it easier because you expect the twists and turns. The one constant is death because the author takes the refrain – all men must die, very much to heart. Don’t get too attached to any character in GoT.
I look forward to the zombie apocalypse, for, when it occurs we will have reached a new milestone.
Because on that day, a black man will be able to carry a white baby through the woods of rural Georgia and rile the suspicion of only one hillbilly.
waka waka #racialprogress #walkingdeadnerdalert
Haven’t read the books. I remember when A Song of Ice and Fire came out, but I was a new mom (with another on the way) and reading sweeping novels wasn’t on my to do list – okay, it was on the list, but I never had the chance to read much since sleep always won out as my favorite activity!
We started GoT when it first aired on HBO, and the advice I received (from friends who read the books) was to not try and read the books while watching the series. The other piece of advice I received was to focus solely on the game, not the characters, so I’ve been expecting everyone to die. I think I need to find some happy shows. House of Cards, anyone? Yep, I’m watching that little ray of sunshine, too!
LOL, SussexAnon!
That’s good advice. Still, one can become excessively (obsessively?) focused on the game (like when you actually know what R+L=J means).
John Ringo has a zombie series of books where the survivors all end up on boats in the ocean, staging raids on zombie-infested coastal areas to pick up supplies. That would seem more likely than the Rocky Mountain scenario, although in World War Z they have zombies walking around on the ocean floor.
At a minimum, zombies float. One can imagine river deltas teeming with the undead.
This question is actually a long-running problem solving exercise that I have been playing with my son for at least 5 years. As we travel about on family vacations, we are always evaluating (to the chagrin of Mrs. Geek and the 13 year old girl-geek) the suitability of locations and how we could get to them in the case of an outbreak.
It has made for some interesting problem-solving, engineering and social conversations.
Well, that’s a nice, cheery, family fun game! (Do NOT share this with Mr. Pandora and the boy!)
Personally, I liked Morgan’s booby trapped, stairs removed location. That was brilliant! And he could get a good night’s sleep.