Is There a Zombie Apocalypse? Could There Be?

Oh, don't roll your eyes!  I can't be the only one who has been taking note of all the flesh-eating crimes of late.

Just so you know, I don’t dwell on the undead stuff. I’m one of the few people who is not a fan of the Living Dead. But sometimes when I’m awake in the middle of the night with that darn insomnia, my mind wanders and occasionally I ponder whether if there is a possibility of a real live (or real dead?) zombie apocalypse.

If I were the betting type, I’d put money on not having to worry about a zombie takeover. Oh, and in an interesting update, no flesh was found in the stomach of the “Miami cannibal” Eugene Rudolph during the autopsy, meaning he didn’t actually eat his victim’s face, he just chewed it off.

Anyway, stepping away from that story for a moment: Do zombies exist in the real world? Could they?

Turns out…kind of.  Don’t believe me?  Read on to learn more...

Neurotoxic “zombie powder.” This potent neurotoxin, officially known as Tetrodotoxin (or TTX), is alleged to have been used in Haitian Voodoo where zombies are the stuff of legends.

The “TTX zombie theory” was popularized by Harvard-trained ethnobotanist Wade Davies in the 1980s. Some in the scientific community have dismissed the Davies theory for a variety of reasons (zombies?!) but Davies was from Harvard so he must be pretty smart and have some idea of what he’s talking about.

The Walking Dead in Midieval Ireland.  Zombies have never actually been seen strolling through Ireland but researchers recently unearthed two early medieval skeletons with giant stones wedged in their mouths.

The reason for the stones? According to folklore, when the living feared the dead were actually the undead, stones were violently shoved into their mouths to prevent them from rising from the grave and “chewing” on their shrouds…and other people.  In a time before germ theories, a big stone in the mouth was used as a disease-blocking tool.

Zombie Fungus. In Brazilian rain forests a fungus has been discovered that infects the brain of ants and causes mind control. When ants in the colony realize one of their own has been infected, they carry it away so it can die. If they don’t, the zombie fungus grows out of the top of the ants head and explodes, infecting all the other ants in the colony.

According to David Huges, an entomologist at Penn State University, there could be thousands of zombie fungi growing in tropical forests across the globe.  Can it infect humans?  Highly doubtful…but the truth remains to be seen.

Zombie Parasites. Like the zombie ant fungus, researchers have also discovered parasites which control the behavior of fleas and bees -- essentially zombie-izing them.

When an insect is infected with the parasite, before dying it moves outside its natural habitat and behaves in a manner which allows it to easily spread the parasite to other insects so they can be zombie-ized too.

  

How interesting and freaky is that?

Apparently zombie-like takeovers caused by parasites and disease happen daily in the animal world. And of course we all know zombie legends have spanned many cultures and existed for centuries..

Doesn’t that kind of make you wonder (just a little) if a Living Dead scenario is really possible among humans?  What are your thoughts on zombies? Don't be afraid to share. Friend me on Facebook or find me on Twitter.