Joseph Sharpe

Living Nightmare It is widely believed that zombies do not exist in any other realm than fantasy or science fiction. Here is the shock; they could actually exist. The classic zombie we know is a Hollywood variation raised from the original Haitian Voodoo zombie. Haitian zombies come from the Voodoo, or Voodoun in Haitian Creole, religion. They are the walking dead created by “black magic” in which priest uses his other worldly powers to resurrect them. That is not the only way a zombie is created. A zombie is not necessarily dead. Generally, the modern idea that Hollywood has presented us with is that, a zombie has some infectious sickness that causes a transformation in a person’s brain function and their personality causing them to resort to primal instincts. Brain parasites and diseases are also very possible ways that these symptoms are caused. The idea of a zombie is not that farfetched, especially through the uses of science. With poisons, parasites, and infectious diseases, what has been seen as a subject of nightmares could possibly be the next world disaster.

The word “zombie” comes from the Haitian Creole word “zombi” which translates to “spirit of the dead.”)"Zombies" University of Michigan) Voodoo was a religion practiced by the Haitian people; it is a religion believed to be rooted in “black magic.” There is something more scientific behind it other than simple explanation of “it's magic,” such as toxins that have been used for years by the Haitian people. “Black magic” did not create zombies, a poison found in the Japanese puffer fish and other fish containing tetrodotoxin did. This poison, poudre zombi which translates to powder (of the) zombie, incapacitates the human body to the point that it seems dead. After burying the “dead” body, someone, usually the Voodoo priest who created the poison, would dig up the body and would keep the zombie somewhat sedated to keep them enslaved to the priest for the rest of their (un)natural life or at least until the priest dies. )"Zombi" Florida Museum of Natural History) This poison has been proven effective, and with the knowledge of technological advances that are made every day, what is to stop someone from creating some sort of toxin that animates a person into a mindless drone that can only preform simple programmed tasks? Military scientists around the world experiment with toxins to use in dirty bombs, this would have the potential to stop a war and put a country's directly under the control of another. A simple miscalculation by a company researching the toxins of these fish or a leak from a military scientist has the potential to turn a portion of the world's population into a bunch of mindless zombies, shambling around and moaning aimlessly.

The concept of Hollywood's undead is a hard pill to swallow knowing the limitations of the human body and death. When death occurs, the body's primary organs begin failing, such as the circulatory and respiratory organs like the heart and lungs. After the failure of these body systems a person is considered clinically dead. It is possible to bring some one back and keep them alive after being declared clinically dead with the aid of respirators and other life support systems. This does not turn a person into a zombie although they have come back from death. Roughly eight minutes after someone is declared clinically dead, biological death begins to occur. This is where the body's supply of oxygen is running out, causing brain damage until there is nothing left alive in the body. ("What's the Difference between Clinical and Biological Death?"Curiosity) That leaves no room for a zombie to be created leaving them buried in their own graves. This proves a difficult point for zombie enthusiasts to overcome in trying to prove the legitimacy of an apocalypse consisting of the undead that infects the human population through biting them. A brain parasite sounds scary by itself, but a brain parasite