Researchers Spot And Manipulate Zombie Gene In Caterpillars

[Blueruler182]

Going back to the moth... It's infected... and it flies around attacking other things to spread the infection... How is that not a zombie already? If we're prodding anything with a stick, it should be that.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Isn't nature beautiful?

And maybe, nothing can possibly go wrong with this!

That will do for sarcastic comments I think.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

To quote Fry: "is this going to be one of those experiments that crosses a line man was not meant to cross?"

Good news, everyone!

Actually...that's not good at all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to panic NOW so I can get it out of my system.

To the panic room! quickly! *shuffles along in slippers*

 

[CardinalPiggles]

I thought we had all already agreed that the Zombie Apocalypse would be great? I, for one, look forward to the possiblity of giving up my petty worldly concerns in favour of focusing on an invigorating and exciting daily fight for my own basic survival. It'll be refreshing!

Not to mention the responsibility of re-populating the world!

 

[Rafael Dera]

Dear researchers: Please quit messing with nature before you kill us all.
Sincerely, everyone who wants to live.

Well, they actually disabled parts the virus so it could no longer mind-control the caterpillar (to prove it was those parts that did it). The mind-control zombification virus is, in fact, all natural and science is not to blame.

There's also a parasite that infects mice and makes them attracted to the scent of cats. Here's the wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasma_gondii
Once again, all natural.

Makes one wonder if other viruses cause something similar in humans; and wether we would realise we were being influenced in this way.

 

[Dalek Caan]

im going to go buy a bolt action rifle, a battle ready katana, and a shaolin spade to put in the new hideout i am building in the wilderness. wake me when the zombies get here

Can I come with you? I would like to be around people who understand how serious a Zombie Apocalypse is. I could bring my fathers hunting rifle and some food. And my dog. Every survivor needs a dog.

 

[TimeLord]

Smart people shall lead to our downfall...by zombies

That's pretty much the case with any end of the world story.

Scientists create zombies, scientists create intelligent computer that becomes self aware etc

Kill all scientists! It's the only way to be sure!

 

[GonzoGamer]

Honestly, this isn't surprising to me. This sort of thing has existed for about as long as life itself. For example, there is a fungus that, once it infects an ant, will work it's way into the ants brain and nervous system. As soon as it is entrenched within, it will cause the ant to seek out other ants and cause the ant to have an urge to climb to a high point near by. Once in position, a stalk of the fungus will grow out of the back of the ants head and release a spray of spores that rain down on any other ants in the area. Then, the cycle repeats.

This fungus has been around for so long that many of the ant colonies that are confronted with it actually know how to deal with it. They'll often send another ant to carry the infected one to a location far from the colony. (which often ends up being a suicidal "mission")

However, I will say that I'm glad those researchers were able to identify and single out the aspect of the virus that activates the gene that causes that behavior in the gypsy months. Discoveries like this are a big step towards figuring out how to, say, shut off cancer cells or cure a plethora of other genetic diseases.

GO SCIENCE!!

And here it is.

What we learned when it comes to controlling the brain of an insect is that it doesn't take much. This fungi does it by penetrating a certain part of the brain which make the brain function change. This fungus is also the one used to create the medicines required to make a successful organ transplant.

So if some freakish accident happens and people contract a mutant version of this virus..


LEEEAAVVVEESSSS......

(the plants are REALLY screwed now)

Because the step between an insect host and a animal host is microscopical. As mentioned above the insect brain is a lot simpler than ours. It has been specialized to work this way for a long time, so it wont suddenly jump to a whole new strategy of spreading.

And yet humans already have something like this virus or that fungi:
Fox News.
I hope those researchers are trying to do something about that. It's been controlling the feeble-minded for too long as well.

 

[LZeroK]

Same joke? huh... It's getting repetitive and misleading.

 

[Yopaz]

And yet humans already have something like this virus or that fungi:
Fox News.
I hope those researchers are trying to do something about that. It's been controlling the feeble-minded for too long as well.

This is nothing like Fox News. Several sources prove that Fox News causes damage to the nerve tissue causing delusions over time which in turn causes the victim of the disease to believe what Fox News says then return to get more making the disease worse.

 

[scienceguy8]

Okay, for those of you who are insane enough to be worried, you shouldn't be. Why? Because not only is baculovirus natural, it is intentionally dosed by humans onto trees to keep down gypsy moth populations. If anything bad was going to happen, it would have already.

NPR: How a Clever Virus Kills a Very Hungry Caterpillar [http://www.npr.org/2011/09/12/140226986/how-a-clever-virus-kills-a-very-hungry-caterpillar]

 

[Harveypot]

Right, where are my vinyl records?

 

[Tiger Sora]

Not zombies, and if they're liquified, liquid can't come back to be a zombie. We just need to worry about this mutating and moving up through the food chain to us. Though theres also 145002 other things we should be scared of thats creeping out there to silently kill us. So why worry, enjoy life while you can, if nothing else gets you, age will.

 

[Croaker42]

*Man enters street looking like he has run 20 miles on a 100 degree day*
*Man is driven to seek out the physical touch of others... as many as he can*
*Man drops to the ground a quivering gelatinous husk*

Repeat.

Its not zombies and not exactly this but close and a vision that scares me.

 

[Bran1470]

its as if we are purposely trying to destroy humanity

 

[Piecewise]

God damn it escapist, you always sensationalize your freaking science posts. That "Virus" you talk about is pretty clearly a parasite, judging by its actions and reproductive cycle (there are a lot of parasites that control animals and make them get eaten in order to continue their reproductive cycle). Also, this has nothing to do with zombies, the caterpillars aren't brought back to life, they're just being made to do something while alive. You could call it a "mind control" virus, but not a zombie virus.

Also, the end of the article is just stupid. Only a matter of time till they figure out how to reanimate dead? No, no I think not.

 

[SlugLady28]

Though i doubt they will try to bring the caterpillars back from the dead, i do think that they will either A) find a cure for the virus before it reaches humans, since everything eventually seems to reach humans or B) continue manipulating the "mind control" enzyme, in which cause we'll have a totally different horror movie on our hands

BTW, I'm in the middle of watching Mary Shelly's Frankenstein as I read this. Not even kidding.

 

[jecht35]

I knew it the spores from Invasion are real, dont trust anyone there not human.

 

[Continuity]

Dear researchers: Please quit messing with nature before you kill us all.
Sincerely, everyone who wants to live.

You know that this thing exists in nature, it isn't anything that scientists cooked up in a lab, right?
Also they figured out how to disable the actions it causes the victims to do, this is a positive thing.

I guess understaning zombie viruses is one step toward someone else making a zombie virus as a biological weapon.

But thats pretty far fetched right... Right?

God damn it escapist, you always sensationalize your freaking science posts. That "Virus" you talk about is pretty clearly a parasite, judging by its actions and reproductive cycle (there are a lot of parasites that control animals and make them get eaten in order to continue their reproductive cycle). Also, this has nothing to do with zombies, the caterpillars aren't brought back to life, they're just being made to do something while alive. You could call it a "mind control" virus, but not a zombie virus.

Also, the end of the article is just stupid. Only a matter of time till they figure out how to reanimate dead? No, no I think not.

You forget that in recent years zombie mythos has expanded to include "infected" and well as the more traditional "undead". Largely thanks to the 24 days later films, where the "zombies" were alive but highly infectious and suffering from uncontrollable rage.