h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...theoretically if a disease/virus/bacteria evolved that symbiotically survived and kept alive the cerebellum and other key regions of the brain, not involved with consciousness?

We know that the cerebellum is often described as a primitive, almost stand-alone part of the brain which controls autonomous functions. If it combined with the regions responsible for motor skills and sensory input.. could zombie like post-death humans 'come alive' craving flesh to sustain its virus/bacterial hosts ?

Terry Pratchett describes the efforts involved in being a zombie in one of his books (*wracks brains*) (*gives up and Googles it instead*) - Reaper Man. Really funny. Could be a useful read if it ever did happen as it might give you some pointers on how to cope

Deb

Microbial species control most of our bodily functions,
mental capacities, beliefs, behaviour and emotions.

The term zombie and the voodoo experience that inspired
the zombie mythos are much misunderstood - when in fact
we are all zombies to some degree.

~jwf~

Even if zombies existed [which I don't think is possible], their nature might be quite different from what we see in zombie movies. But I like zombie jokes, like the one in the funny pages today, in which vegetarian zombies invade houses to eat bran flakes.
Quikc, hide the tofu, the zombies are coming!

Zombies do exist... in the insect world. Cordyceps fungus turns various insect species into zombies with no control over their bodies. I know of no physiological reason that some fungus couldn't evolve to treat us similarly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8

For humans, toxoplasmosis gondi already seems to have some mind control.

It all depends what you mean by zombies. The rabies virus gives similar results, but much slower than in the movies. It also tends to kill it's host.

As BG and Xantic say, Zombies do already exist to a certain extent.

To fully answer the question though, we to define what a zombie actually is.

Sorry, that can't be done. People can't even decide between fast moving zombies and slow moving zombies.

How are zombies different from mummies other than a bit of wrapping?

For one thing, mummification isn't contagious.

There's an article by Robert Smith? about the neurology of zombies. You might find it interesting,

Sheldon Cooper agrees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ACDjzQkLLA

"How are zombies different from mummies other than a bit of wrapping?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVnlUCZwGKU

Sorry. You should probably use Baron Grim's instead.

OOH!... Sychronicity/Lattice o' Coincidence



I just saw this list of 10 bizarre medical conditions and one presents quite zombie like behaviour.

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/10-strangest-known-medical-conditions


"Cotard’s Delusion isn’t a physical affliction, but a rare mental disorder in which a person sincerely believes he or she is missing body parts—such as the brain—or is actually dead. Sufferers tend not to eat or bathe, and they often spend time in cemeteries, wishing to be among their own kind. Well, their perceived own kind, at any rate.

This disorder has been connected to a dysfunction in the areas of the brain responsible for recognizing and associating emotions with faces, including their own. This causes a complete emotional detachment and removes any sense of personal identity when looking at their bodies. Medications can be used to treat the condition, though electroconvulsive therapy has worked better in some cases."

Thorazine used to be associated with zombie-like shuffling.

Posting now so I don't lose this thread.

...from the 1st post, that should be 'limbic', not 'cerebellum'. ....ciao...

Speaking of the cerebellum (or, not as the case may be) a 24 year old woman was recently discovered to be missing her cerebellum.

http://www.wired.com/2014/09/24-woman-discovers-born-without-key-brain-region-cerebellum/

The limbic regions of the brain include everything inside the the white areas and below, along the course of the spinal cord, including the medulla oblongata in the brain diagram accompaning the article in the link above about a woman born without a cerebellum.

The cerebellum and cerebrum represent higher structures not present in the reptilian or avian brain.

Archetypal limbic personification:

Godzilla 1954 Trailer: http://youtu.be/VKrj1ymJzmo

The body language, at any rate matches the description and the stereotype.

Some links below on one of the best established and documented outsider studies available on Haitian Voodoo and the zombie cult.

It was thought that the drugs used in the ritual were derived from hetbal sources.

They proved instead to be derived from the puffer fish.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31490.The_Serpent_and_the_Rainbow

serpent and the rainbow full movie: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7D4656EF96D8888C

...by Jormungand, the world girdling serpent and Heimdal who guards Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, death itself is no escape from old Voudun, the Cargo God...

"The cerebellum and cerebrum represent higher structures not present in the reptilian or avian brain." [ITIWBS]

Birds and reptiles manage fine without these structures, so it's not implausible for humans to manage likewise. It's just not common for them to be without them.....

'Birds and reptiles manage fine without these structures, so it's not implausible for humans to manage likewise. It's just not common for them to be without them.....'

While there are cases were people manage just fine quoting from the article the BG linked too

'There are reasons to guard against hyping cases such as this. The overwhelming majority of people who suffer brain injuries and illnesses often face great challenges and difficulties coping with the impairments associated with their conditions.'

and

'By sensationalising rare cases like this Chinese woman, we risk belittling the seriousness of the vast majority of brain disorders and injuries and generating unrealistic hope about the brain’s plasticity.'

I do note your use of the word implausible, but find your comment, in terms of your comparisons to be somewhat lacking in sensitivity