![]() ![]() It was obviously a very well-funded lab, as the equipment and building space were nice and shiny, but this layout was entirely plausible. This lab space was actually quite realistic. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures However, the rapid and sudden total onset of zombie-disease is not terribly realistic, especially given that it’s rewiring the nervous system in a pretty major way. Then again, if I remember correctly, we’re told that the infection is not viral or bacterial in nature and is instead some unknown pathogen, which perhaps acts in a completely different manner. A more realistic depiction would have the symptoms emerging over time. It’s clear the zombie disease affects the nervous system (i.e., muscle control is altered and the zombies become twitchy, and we’re led to believe the entire brain is overcome when the zombie “switch” is turned on) all at once. Chemical compounds, which are small and can diffuse quickly, are able to produce a more immediate effect, but twelve seconds is probably still too short a time to do so effectively. In reality, it takes about a minute or so for blood to circulate through the body in an average person, and if the infection is viral or biological, it would take quite a bit longer for the machinery of those pathogens to start inducing an immune response. In the movie, the total onset of the zombie disease takes about twelve seconds and is sudden and total (meaning the whole body responds instantly, rather than with a slow creep). (Some spoilers below for those who haven’t seen the film.) Anyway, here are a few things that came to mind as I watched the film. Also, because these are science thoughts, they’re not funny, which probably isn’t the preferred delivery system for this sort of topic (but is totally par for the course in my profession!). ![]() Now, it should be noted that I’m not an expert on zombies, per se. I’ve recorded those thoughts to the best of my abilities below. That said, they picked the right guy, as a couple of thoughts about scientific accuracy and plausibility occurred to me while watching World War Z over the weekend. But just because I now use lasers at work to study how cells generate force to divide doesn’t mean I can’t accept and enjoy zombie-apocalypse cinema on its own terms. studying the physics of DNA, would be willing to watch World War Z from a scientific perspective, I figured they just wanted someone to play the part of a cold-hearted Professor Frink–esque math guy who only finds joy in deconstructing the science in films. When Vulture asked me if I, who earned my Ph.D. ![]()
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