science confirms the possibility of a zombie apocalypse

[Sprocket]

sure, the scientists don't come out and say it, but they damn well could if they wanted to!

as you know, human psychology is something that i find fascinating, this is really interesting.
before you say i have been watching too many zombie movies, or playing too much Left 4 Dead, here me out. well, here the facts out.

the science behind it revolves around Toxoplasma gondii. we will get more into that in just a second.

how could this cause a "zombie apocalypse"? well, for starters it is confirmed that at least half of the Earth's population are carriers. they live in the body...and in the brain.

here is what these little critters do:

Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite found in the gut of cats; it sheds eggs that are picked up by rats and other animals that are eaten by cats. Toxoplasma forms cysts in the bodies of the intermediate rat hosts, including the brain. Since cats don't want to eat dead, decaying prey, Toxoplasma takes the evolutionarily sound course of being a "good" parasite, leaving the rats perfectly healthy, except for the fun fact that now the rats want to be eaten. slight difference from being healthy, really.

ok, so exactly how does that affect us? well it turns out that rats, scientifically speaking, react to and are affected by things much the same way we are, after all, rats and humans have the same basic physiology, similar organs, and similar body plans. this is why they have been used in scientific experiments for so long, this is an accepted fact.

ok, what does this have to do with a freakin zombie apocalypse? hold on, we're gettin there!

Oxford scientists have discovered that the minds of the rats that are infected with this parasite (the same parasite that half the population is giving a free ride to) have been "subtly altered". in other words, they exhibit zombie like behavior. in a series of experiments, they demonstrated that healthy rats will prudently avoid areas that have been doused with cat urine. in fact, when scientists test anti-anxiety drugs on rats, they use a whiff of cat urine to induce neurochemical panic(i experience this when i am forced to go shopping). however, it turns out that rats who are infected, could care less. they literally show no sane reaction. instead, some of the infected rats actually go kamikaze and seek out the cat urine over and over again and again. the parasite alters the mind (it zombifies them) of the rat for its own benefit.

remember that that 1 in 5 people have this parasite? remember that rats are physiologically the same as us (again, scientifically speaking)? if you do, then keep reading.

you see, if the parasite can change the basic survival mechanism in the rat's brain, and we are similar, could it have any effect on humans?

Dr. E. Fuller Torrey (Associate Director for Laboratory Research at the Stanley Medical Research Institute) noticed links between Toxoplasma and schizophrenia in human beings, approximately three billion of whom are infected with the toxoplasma gondii,

• Toxoplasma infection is associated with damage to astrocytes, glial cells which surround and support neurons. Schizophrenia is also associated with damage to astrocytes.
• Pregnant women with high levels of antibodies to Toxoplasma are more likely to give birth to children who will develop schizophrenia
• Human cells raised in petri dishes, and infected with Toxoplasma, will respond to drugs like haloperidol; the growth of the parasite stops. Haloperidol is an antipsychotic, used to treat schizophrenia.

Dr. Torrey got together with the Oxford scientists, to see if anything could be done about those parasite-controlled rats who were driven to hang around cat urine-soaked corners, waiting for the cats to eat them. According to a recent press release, it turns out that haloperidol restores the rat's healthy fear of cat urine. In fact, antipsychotic drugs were as effective as pyrimethamine, a drug that specifically eliminates Toxoplasma.

so, can parasites like toxoplasma subtly alter human behavior? can it turn them into zombies? by physical definition a zombie is someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way. parasites have long been known to take over or 'control' their hosts before, manipulating their behavior, chemically training them in some instances. it's nothing new.

don't believe me?

let's look at some examples:

• hairworms, which live inside grasshoppers, sabotage the grasshopper's central nervous system, forcing them to jump into pools of water, drowning themselves. the hairworms then swim away from their hosts to continue their life cycle.

• the lancet fluke dicrocoelium dendriticum forces its ant host to attach to the tips of grass blades, the easier to be eaten. the fluke needs to get into the gut of a grazing animal to complete its life cycle.

• the fluke euhaplorchis californiensis forces fish to shimmy and jump so wading birds will grab them and eat them, for the same reason.

you're probably thinking to yourself, ok, thats interesting Sprocket, so how exactly can this cause a "zombie apocolypse"?

well, to sum up, answer your question, and prove the point, 3 billion people are carrying a parasite that is know to effectively control the mind of it's host. now, the parasite's only interest in mind control, is causing the rats to want to be eaten by the cats, for reasons pointed out earlier. however, this same parasite has been proven to change the personalities of it's hosts as a side effect. some people have even gone insane because of it, while others have led perfectly normal lives.

now this doesnt mean we will be chased by the infected through the streets while they moan "braaaiiiiiiins", but it does show evidence that those that are infected, are not themselves, and might not react appropriately to a situation as a "normal" person would.

my advice, be careful who you flip off, they might just be forced to flip out.

now if we could just get those pesky zombies stoned....

[Jigsy420]

Hahahahaha. You may have been watching too many zombie flicks! This actually sounds a little along the lines of that movie "The Happening". Instead of trees it's cats and critters. But I think I heard that Canada has an official contingency plan for a zombie apocalypse. No, really. The worst part is that I think it's based on shufflers, not runners. Not that I don't take measures myself, mind you... maybe I have symptoms from the toxoplasma.... hmmm.

[Michael]

I am one with my madness.

[Sprocket]

how zen zombist of you! lmao

i used to be one with my zombie....a lot.......then......i found the ladies................

[I8ntLucky_UR]

"Meow Meow"


Look into my EYES! Look into my EYES!

This is why I own dogs. LOL

[Sprocket]

nice. i love it, man. i pictured the cheshire cat when you did that.

[Mr.Moonbiscuit]

my friends think im crazy, i have spent the better part of the last 6 years of my life preparing for zombie apacolpse i relish every new zombie movie. i take all measures i feel are necesarry, i have dedicated my life to learning survival techniques and how to live off the land, i want a zombie apacolypse, i yearn for it, i dont fit in with the technological era, give me my gun my girl and my ganga, a safe place to live, and the oportunity to put my "unusual" knowledge to work. i know im crazy for it, i cant help it. i have stockpiled ammo the most useful guns for my area seeds of all kinds, and i trully dont beleive ill be the " omega survivor" far from it i dont care about if i get bitten if that makes any sense i would just see it as i see all things, a game, how long can i last, how many infected can i take out before they get me, i dont anticipate any particular form of zombie, but i know im crazy, and that seperates me from the loonies i hope.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

"i know im crazy, and that seperates me from the loonies"

I'm going to steal that line, for a song.

[Mr.Moonbiscuit]

ha feel free man, just rep moon in the inspiration lol