Can Zombies Really Exist?

In horror movies and films zombies are a popular topic. They usually break out from under gravestones and eat everything they see. In these books and movies, you get a somewhat scientific explanation for how zombies exist, but you do not get a realistic explanation. Usually they leave out the part for which there is no explanation, but they give you just enough explanation for you to believe that zombies can exist. If you read on, I will give you real information to explain whether or not zombies are able to “live” on this planet.

So, let’s get started with the facts: There is an unconfirmed sickness which leaves its victims in a very zombie-like state. A neuron, which is a nerve cell that is the basic building block of the nervous system, can fire in the brain. When this neuron fires it “reprograms” the brain leaving it with nothing what-so-ever other than the desire to eat. Though this is extremely rare, it does happen occasionally; don’t be afraid, this sickness most probably won’t affect you. Because zombies usually eat everything, this description of the effects of the sickness is very close to what a zombie would be like.

There is another sickness called the Klüver–Bucy syndrome which leaves a person with a desire to put inappropriate objects into their mouth, they are unable to recognize objects, and become distracted and violent. Qualities which are very similar to those we know of zombies. When people have this syndrome the problem is with the amygdala, the part of the brain that is responsible for survival instincts, emotions and memory. The amygdala stops functioning thus all the sympathy and memory of loved ones dies away leaving the person very violent, with no purpose in life. Because the person has nothing to live for and no ability to feel sorry for themselves, they are left with the only thing they can do: eat.

Even though these sicknesses affect living people, and zombies are supposed to be dead, there is no rule for what makes a person alive or dead. Modern technology is blurring the boundaries - like when a person is in a coma and the only thing that keeps it alive is a couple of machines, does that count as alive or dead? You might be unsure of what the answer is. So when a person can’t feel, think or remember anything, are they dead or alive? Debatable, isn’t it? I know these are sicknesses but what makes a zombie a zombie? What are zombies actually?

I want to give you the full truth of whether zombies can exist or not, so I’ll give you some facts showing that zombies can’t exists. First of all, let's start with something simple: Zombies can move and walk even though they are dead. When you die, after a while your cells stop working because there is no blood flowing in your veins to transport oxygen to your cells. So even though you wouldn’t be able to move without your cells functioning, there are more reasons for why it is impossible for you to move when you are dead. Your body goes rigid after being dead for a while; this is because calcium flows into your cells making them stiff. This is called rigor mortis.

You wouldn't be able to move for one more reason - you need energy to move and energy goes into your body through food. You don't eat food when you are dead, so how can you give your body energy? Also, even if zombies were to eat, there is no blood flow and digestion to convert sugars into energy (though zombies most likely wouldn’t even eat foods that contain sugars).

But wait, there is more! In most movies the zombies break out from under a gravestone. Zombies don't really have functioning brains, so what gives them enough common sense to know that they are supposed to lift the stone above them? Nothing. However, even if they knew what to do, how can they possibly be able to lift such a heavy stone that even living people can’t lift? Well, it's most likely impossible to lift a gravestone without using any help from other machines or people. Ok, I know that you might say something like "but what if the zombies are lying on the ground?" Well even if so, the reasons I gave above give facts for why a zombie would still be unable to move.

So what do you think? Do you believe that the sicknesses that have a very zombie-like effect on their victims make the people who get those sicknesses zombies? Or do you think that they are still alive and thus, because it is impossible for dead people to move, there aren’t any creatures called zombies? It's your turn to decide!