Zombies are what nightmares are made of and have been the popular antagonist of many horror movies. Their dead faces with rotting flesh and stare way expression can frighten anyone easily.
A post apocalypse world where a strange virus plagues humans and turn into flesh eating beings that have no semblance of intelligence look inspired by the Halloweens but could these beings be true?
Are Zombies Real?
Yes, zombies do exist but you don’t have to go running for covers or await the Earth turning into a zombie land anytime soon. The simple reason for that is that even though zombies are actually true and not fictional, they are not humans. Yes, these zombies are ants. The idea that the animal world could have something so closely related to what humans have used as a fictional form of horror is a very unnerving thought. The zombie ant has a stalk coming out of its head which is basically a fungus; these spores affect all the other ants and keeps the zombie cycle going. The fungus is like a parasite and for it to flourish, it must completely hijack the brain of the ant.
(Featured Image Courtesy: Relatively Interesting)
Do Zombies Exist In Real Life?
The existence of zombies might sound very strange and ludicrous all thanks to the countless fictional movies that we have seen on them, but the truth is different. In the animal world, this is not an unusual phenomenon, and many zombies like beings that exist are under mind control. There are zombie spiders and cockroaches that babysit the wasp larvae that are in developing stage until the babies gobble them.
Similarly, there are zombie fishes that swim all the way to the surface of the water where they flip and dart around as if awaiting their demise. Such behavior would attract birds who would eat away these fishes and put them out of their misery. Zombie cricket, beetles and praying mantis tend to drown themselves in water while zombie rats are pulled to the smell of the pee of the cat, which would eventually kill them.
Parasites!
What creates a zombie are parasites, these beings need life support to flourish as they are incapable of doing it themselves. The parasite takes on the body of a host and lives either inside or on it. This parasite can have numerous forms ranging from fungus, a worm or any other really tiny creature. The parasite feeds on the host continuously, and within some time the host eventually weakens or sickens the host. There are cases where the parasite eventually devours the host, but this may not always be the end goal. Most often the parasite wants the host to die in a particular place or be eaten by some creature. To accomplish this feat, the parasite hacks into the brain of the host and can control its behavior.
(Image Courtesy: HypeScience)
The chemical alteration that takes place inside the mind of the victim is a gradual process but is enough to turn an insect or any other animal into the walking dead. This process has attracted a lot of researchers who are studying the type of chemical that the parasite produces which can alter the mind and behavior of the host body.
Zombie Plants
The most bewildering of real life zombies is not the animals but plants. These plants turn into mutant versions of themselves after getting infected by a bacteria that feeds on plant sap. The plant finally is controlled by the bacteria in question.
(Image Courtesy: Reasons To Believe)
Are you completely taken aback by the existence of zombies in real life? Share your feedback using the comment box below.
(Featured Image Courtesy: The Hindustan Times)
Share
