Essay talk:Zombie Biology

The problem I have with a "scientific" take of zombie biology is the fact that they seem to survive for years with no energy input. They sometimes eat people (or brains) but they seem to be able to continue to operate for a a very long time without any energy input.Bob"Life is short and (insert adjective)" 21:05, 14 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Yeah, and imagine not having a functioning immune system and how that would go for continuing to exist. Forget the zombie virus that is actively invading all your cells, random fungus spores would turn the zombies a pile of fuzz within a week, like a steak left on the counter.  ikanreed 🐐Bleat at me 21:18, 14 January 2020 (UTC)

Note on zombie biology
They use the flesh they eat to regenerate. It is also a work in progress. Happy to take suggestions. --Rationalzombie94 (talk) 00:31, 15 January 2020 (UTC)

Population statistics
A problem with this explanation is that in the early stages there is a ready supply of non-zombie humans for the zombies to use for energy, regrowth, tissue revivification, etc. But almost all accounts of zombie attacks show the situation where there is a small number of humans left, a very large number of zombies in comparison, and yet the zombies still continue to function for significant periods of time. Obviously the zombies must have some fuel source other than the people they eat. --Annanoon (talk) 10:51, 15 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes. That is the point I was making. They seem to remain active permanently without any source of energy, or when the source of energy (humans) has been radically depleted.Bob"Life is short and (insert adjective)" 10:55, 15 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Could they be 'general carnivores' - or 'the existing zombies' congregate in the vicinity of 'the remaining humans' (and once humans disappear as a species or become inaccessible to zombies (living on boats, wearing some form of armour etc zombies become extinct). Anna Livia (talk) 11:25, 15 January 2020 (UTC)

I am thinking of ways for zombie evolution. I am considering that human viruses can trigger zombie evolution. Trying to think of how I would do it. Now as for other food sources, I will have it where they can eat other mammals. Still a lot I have to work out. Thank God what I am writing is only the first draft. --Rationalzombie94 (talk) 15:15, 15 January 2020 (UTC)
 * How are you going to get evolution without reproduction?Bob"Life is short and (insert adjective)" 15:29, 15 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Explore 'zombie fanfic' on your favourite brower(s) - but be aware of the 'dead dove do not eat' trope (a different thing). Anna Livia (talk) 17:04, 15 January 2020 (UTC)
 * You still have evolution wrong in your story. Individuals don't evolve.Bob"Life is short and (insert adjective)" 07:59, 16 January 2020 (UTC)

Zombie is a couched and familiar term, eon't slow down, but from an pidemiology lens...
Personally, when I think about reanimation, I would consider it slow and lumbering due to cell degradation. And if there's no brain function left, reanimation without caloric intake is people crawling. Like, even people with broken bones have to spend time rebuilding the muscles to support those bones. I just get frustrated why masses of transmissible virus infected zombies do not last months or so into an outbreak if you also want piled up cars and empty a quick and effective outbreak, it should read a little more like a parasitic relationship. Nothing small enough to get into a brain is going to have the energy to move a corpse. There are really good workarounds, like Matheson's I am Legend, or Iwaaki's Parasyte. Or maybe it could be lightning-fast, a book that spans about a month or so and follows the transmission across the country. But if you're going to suspend disbelief enough that an eaten brain benefits a zombie, you're going to have to deal with it. I'd go with alien parasite. Something has to account for the muscles working after meningitis and a loss of blood.
 * Or just do what everyone else does and use Zombies as a foil for what people do when they are afraid and at their wits end. Don't explain what doesn't merit explanation, but then your characters NEED to be SOLID.  Like, the Walking Dead series lost steam because every character was inconsistent for the first 3 seasons.  Like the writers room said "somebody should say this" and the direction was like "it doesn't really matter who says what, let's just get this dialogue out, we spent all week trying to get people to shamble like zombies."  Gol Sarnitt (talk) 02:06, 16 January 2020 (UTC)

Question
What happens as the number of people decreases as they have been eaten or zombified? Anna Livia (talk) 18:01, 20 January 2020 (UTC)
 * They start to consume animals and plants. Zombies are highly adaptive. --Rationalzombie94 (talk) 14:01, 21 January 2020 (UTC)