Blogpost # 2: From Bite to Epidemic: The Zombie Virus

Everyone was impressed on how a little Magikarp can evolve into gigantic Gyarados in Pokemon. Everyone witnessed how a tiny plane destroyed the tallest twin tower in New York. Lastly, everyone was devastated on how a small cancer cell can destroy and kill the body. They maybe in different situations, but they were somewhat similar; three of them began from small and ended up big. These events just supported the saying, "Everything starts from small beginnings." It is really true that in order to accomplish big things, we must start from small beginnings and this doesn't exempts the issue about zombies.

  

Norman Reedus, from The Walking
Dead, zombie fan art

I was really a big fan of zombies. I used to watch a lot of movies and television series about zombies and I've found something in common about them; your sufferings will begin after you were bitten and eventually you will start spreading the virus by biting others as well. With just one bite, everything can turn devastating next. Even though you're a self-claimed vegetarian, this can turn you into a skin slasher and gut eating freak. How could you imagine that a tiny bite can cause such an epidemic?

Upon researching about this, I've found an article entitled "Diagnosis Zombie: The Science Behind the Undead Apocalypse" from livescience.com by Megan Gannon. According to the article, a scientist named Dr. Steven Schlozman, who calls himself as "Dr. Zombie," said that zombies are not real. They're just sick and ill of something. He then teamed up with Mayim Bialik, the actress who plays a neuroscientist in Big Bang Theory, who's actually a neuroscientist in real life.

As what I've mentioned earlier, one of the most common thing found in all zombie related movies is the bite. The worldwide phenomena, according to these movies, starts from a bite. These movies may look realistic for some, but these doesn't fool Dr. Schlozman. He believed that there's a mathematical way on how a zombie virus spreads, that there is a big difference on how the Hollywood portrays a zombie apocalypse to what kind of outbreak epidemiologist imagined in the real world.

A dog with Rabies Virus

In reality, there is really an existing virus that can be spread through bite, the rabies. We've already seen a lot of dogs drooling and sometimes bite a lot of people when it's their chance. This is the effect of rabies virus on animals. On the other contrary, we'll die once it enters our system. A lot of scientist believe that it is really possible for a zombie apocalypse to happen because of this virus. But for Dr. Schlozman, it can be isolated. Aside from rabies virus, he also considered airborne viruses such as influenza, as one of the many possibilities.

Meggan Gannon says, "If there were ever a zombie takeover that looked like one in the movies, it would probably have to be set off by some sinister man-made pathogen."

For me, the above statement is true. I've done a lot of research, then I've found out that a virus evolves from time to time. If this was the case, then the rabies virus, which is only compatible to animals, can evolve into something that makes it compatible for humans too. It is very possible for this to happen, but to turn a person into a flesh-eating corpse is what makes it really impossible. The evolved rabies virus can take over our body for a while, but it is curable unlike what shown in the movies. If we really wanted to have a zombie apocalypse, we must become a super evil genius as brilliant as mother nature.


As more the thread become popular, the more people came looking for an answer. In another article entitled "5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen" from cracked.com, Authors TE Sloth and David Wong said that it is quite possible to happen. To explain it further, here are the following objects that can trigger the apocalypse according to science:

The first on the list is the Brain Parasite. This parasite is very common especially on rats as it turns them into a mindless cannibalistic object once they are inside their predator, the cat. As we all know, zombies are somewhat mindless too. For scientist, this could be one of the possibility for the said apocalypse.





Second on the list is the neurotoxin. I've already mentioned about this on my first blog and as a recall, neurotoxins are kind of poisonous material that is commonly found on puffer fish, fugu (Japanese puffer fish), to be specific. This toxic material is so deadly that it can easily kill its victim in just seconds. As there was already been reported case of a zombie (Clairvius Narcisse) because of this, it became a controversy to the study of zombies. But remember, you can't make a zombie by the neurotoxin alone. You need the rituals as what was stated on the Haitian myth!

Angry Zombies

The third and the fourth are the Real Rage Virus and Neurogenesis. To fully understand both of them, let us first identify them one by one. Real Rage Virus, as what was stated on its name, causes rage on its victims and turn them into a mindless killing machine. It very similar to mad-cow disease that does the same effect on cows. The worst about this thing is that, if it really creates zombie, it will not just an ordinary zombie but a super and fast zombie. On the other hand, Neurogenesis is a scientific process where a dead body cell is replaced by a new one. It is kinda similar to the Haitian myth who uses neurotoxins, because the zombified human will work as a slave and not the monster we used to know.

Before we proceed to the last one, let us first have a review on what a virus is. Virus, according to an article entitled "What Is Virus?" from www.news-medical.net, are tiny organisms who prey on a living host. It can cause illness and flu to something more life threatening like HIV/Aids.

The last one on the list is not that much related to virus but it is a scientific invention that destroys the concept of a virus. I know, everyone is very familiar to the Nanobots as it appeared and mentioned a lot of times already in television, cartoons and movies. This technology are tiny robots which will be injected into a certain virus. As what was mentioned above, virus only affects a healthy living host. But with the nanobots, the virus can still function even though its original host dies. Can you imagine the fact that you will not the owner anymore of your own body after your death? Yes. This nanobot technology will going to control you throughout its lifespan. In order for it to continue, it will force you to bite another healthy host until it becomes a very drastic epidemic. What makes it more terrifying? It was already invented.

David Wong says, "Now, it should be more than clear by this point that our goal is to be responsible researchers. We don't want to create a panic here. All we're saying is that on an actual day on the actual calendar in the future, runaway microscopic nanobots will end civilization by flooding the planet with the cannibalistic undead."

Yes. They were already invented. Maybe some of you were scared after hearing this threatening news, but it is not the right time to panic. Panicking will not do anything progressive. It will just increase our fear for something that hasn't happened yet. But for now, it is very important for us to prepare. We don't know what future can hold. This can happen anytime now.


Imagine the world to end because of a bite. It's creepy but it is creepier if one of your loved ones will try to eat you just to satisfy their ravenous hunger. All the evidences and possibilities were already presented, but it still lacks information. I guess, what shown in the movie, will stay on the movie. Whatever what we do, no matter how much we try, nobody can make a fiction into a reality. No matter how stupid we are, no matter how evil we are to create such things as this apocalypse, we will not be as great as we expected to be. It is still the mother nature who will be the victor in the end. It is her who will decide what the world's fate will be.