First, you need to have the most basic necessities to ensure survival from day to day, such as water, food, medicine, and even weapons. The more weapons you have, the better. The next step is to escape from densely populated areas because the more people around, the more daring these zombies become in their quest for survival. The third step is to find a shelter to protect you from the wandering corpses that are always waiting to…. eat brains.
Zombie “fanatics” around the world can name many causes that lead to a person becoming a zombie after death. It could be due to a virus, a chemical, or pollution affecting the brains of the deceased, causing instinctual areas like eating to activate while other parts of the brain remain dead. The term zombie may originate from the West Indies, similar to the word jumbie, meaning “ghost”, or “nzambi” from Kongo, meaning “the soul of a dead person.”
Do zombies really exist?
The existence of zombies has been widely propagated through legends and over the past few decades, media outlets have woven them into the main characters of movies and advertisements. To date, there are numerous hypotheses about zombies, but there is still no accurate answer as to why and how these bizarre creatures could exist. Some believe they are created by a virus that alters the human body, while others think it is a result of exposure to radiation from parasitic fungi. Many even assert that magical curses have resurrected the dead from some other world.
In the famous film The Night of the Living Dead, released in 1968, the image of zombies was perfectly modeled, and they were referred to as ghouls. However, due to some characteristics that are entirely different from actual demons, they are called “the living dead.” Zombies move slowly but constantly advance toward humans with patience and in massive numbers.
Zombies inspire filmmakers
Modern zombies, such as those in the film World War Z, released in 2013, can move very quickly and are quite intelligent.
Zombies truly represent a paradox that completely contradicts the laws of physics. They are not dead; they can even move around as if they are alive. They are cold, soulless, yet somehow can dig into the skulls of their victims to consume brains. Their bodies may be decaying, but they can still roam the streets and chase any human that appears nearby.
Despite all the legends and lifelike images of zombies in blockbuster films, human biology asserts that zombies cannot exist. Here are 10 pieces of evidence against the beliefs of “believers” that someday zombies will “rise.”
The Effects of Temperature and Humidity
Have you ever been in Atlanta in August? The term “stifling” doesn’t even begin to describe the agony of enduring harsh weather with temperatures reaching three digits and humidity levels higher than in a greenhouse. North Dakota in January is no different from hell, where the temperature can drop low enough to freeze living tissue in minutes and destroy anything left outside unprotected.
Zombies cannot survive in high temperature and humidity
In summary, prolonged extreme weather conditions would destroy zombies in various ways. High temperatures and humidity would accelerate the decomposition of already rotten parts by providing perfect conditions for the growth of insects and bacteria—factors capable of breaking down anything with their enzymes. The dry heat of the desert can cause zombies to dry out like husks in just a few hours.
Cold weather would also make zombie bones more brittle and prone to breaking. Even minor actions like attacking or stumbling could completely destroy their skeletal system.
Not to mention the deterioration caused by ultraviolet rays from the sun, strong winds, thunderstorms, hail, or blizzards. Surely, all these adverse weather phenomena are likely why zombies (in films and legends) prefer to inhabit relatively safe areas like basements, caves, and abandoned prisons.
Contradicting Motion Theories
We are all structured beings. Movement is formed through the connections between muscles, tendons, skeletal elements, and more. When a part of this system fails to function, we cannot move. This raises a puzzling challenge as modern zombies appear to move perfectly even when their bones are about to fall off their bodies and their flesh is hanging loose.
Zombies cannot move without a brain
And of course, all zombies wandering around some area (sometimes at terrifying speeds) seem to lack a real physical mechanism that would allow their bodies to decompose, muscles to be torn apart, and bones to break. This holds true even before you realize that they do not have brains.
The human central nervous system controls all our muscle activities by transmitting electrical signals from the brain to muscle cells, causing them to contract in response to the “demands” of gray matter. Many types of zombies exhibit severe head injuries that render their brains completely non-functional, making the hypothesis of their forward movement even more implausible.
No Immune System
Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other microscopic parasites have invaded the human body early on, causing our lives to be miserable and short-lived. However, it wasn’t until the 1800s that scientists discovered tiny invading organisms like the smallpox virus and HIV—considered the most dangerous enemies to our bodies.
Zombies lack an immune system
The human immune system—a function that can be compromised by the presence of white blood cells—prevents infectious risks and keeps us alive, at least for a period. Thus, those with compromised immune systems are often at higher risk for numerous health issues.
This is also what zombies face, as they have no immune system. With decaying bodies, zombies are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, fungi, and viruses in vast quantities. This could cause zombies to deteriorate from the inside out, and since they are the undead, this could be a good thing for humans (if zombies were real).
Metabolic Processes Disabled
Humans consume food to convert it into energy that fuels all daily activities, from breathing to reproduction. This is the role of metabolism. Metabolism is a broad term encompassing all chemical reactions occurring in our bodies.
In theory, zombies eat brains because they need nourishment to sustain their activity. There’s just one problem—zombies are not truly alive. As members of an “undead” society, their bodies do not undergo metabolic processes.
How would zombies metabolize brains into energy?
The nutrients that humans absorb begin to break down the moment we chew a slice of pizza or a piece of cake. After that, the stomach takes on the next task – converting these nutrients into calories so that we can survive.
Meanwhile, zombies have no metabolic activity. Even if they can miraculously extract energy to chew on “delicious” brains, their stomachs (if they even have one) cannot provide a chemical process to convert nutrients into energy.
Attacked by Predators
These include hyenas, wolves, bears, coyotes, foxes, and all other wild or wandering animals. When the post-apocalyptic era (believed to be the time when Earth faces its end) arrives, you will begin to fear these predators even if you are a zombie. They are fast, ferocious, and when attacking healthy humans, they become even more aggressive.
Zombies can also be attacked by predators
So how will these animals react to zombies? In an ecosystem torn apart by the chaos of the undead, hunger is certainly a challenge not only for humans but also for these animals. Just like humans, these animals will do anything to survive, even if it means gnawing on the remains of their kind.
Predatory attacks are not limited to top-tier predators. Even smaller animals like rats, raccoons, and marsupials will “gladly” munch on creatures that are “not truly dead” if given the chance, such as a zombie monster lying in a mud pit awaiting a tragic end.
Lack of Senses
Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting are all core elements for our survival. Without these five senses, humans would wander aimlessly on Earth, and in a very short time, we would end up eating poisonous plants, bumping into door frames, and there would be no doubt when someone walks into the coffee table!
Zombies lack the essential senses
Because a zombie’s body has decayed, it becomes very difficult for them to accurately perform the tricks needed to seek out “delicious” brains. As decomposition begins, the soft tissues of the eyes are among the first cells to be destroyed, leaving zombies blind and starting to lunge at anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path.
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On a more positive note, you may never have to run for your life to escape the relentless pursuit of zombies—monsters that constantly lurk around you and your family, clawing at your face and trying to eat your brains. This also means that you will never have the chance to turn a pre-planned survival strategy against a zombie wave into action. In any case, zombies cannot physically exist. There is no magic that could transform them into a real threat to humanity.
Those who are fascinated by the imagery of zombies often have a very “fantastical” view of life should the Earth ever fall into apocalypse. They abandon office jobs and leisure activities like camping in the woods, shooting, and playing baseball. Like many others, I find myself wondering what I would be like in such an apocalyptic scenario. After a few weeks of contemplation, I realize that while I would have to relocate to a distant place and constantly be distressed by gunfire, the real threat wouldn’t be the zombies—it would be the scarcity of medicine, fuel, and clean water. Perhaps we should let zombies return to their “earthen graves”—where they truly belong.
| The term “zombie” refers to a reanimated corpse, brought back to life through mysterious methods, such as magic. This term is often used metaphorically to describe someone who is hypnotized, devoid of awareness and self-consciousness, yet still able to walk and respond to stimuli around them. Since the late 19th century, zombies have gained particular popularity, especially in North American and European folklore. In Hollywood films, zombies are largely depicted as corpses or individuals who, although alive, have been infected by a disease or virus that transforms them. |
