To tell you that a zombie apocalypse is entirely possible

[RabidChinchilla]

Ok, I'm sick of reading all these nutjob 5G conspiracies. Let's get some real scaremongering on the go!

Toxoplasma. It's a parasite that infects mammals and can influence behaviour by remodelling their neurons. Typically, it infects rats and alters their neural pathways so that they're no longer afraid of cats - instead of the fear pathway being activated, the sexual pathway is now activated by the smell of cat urine.

This lack of fear is designed to make the rat more susceptible to being eaten by a cat, with felines being the only hosts that the parasite can fully reproduce within - before being crapped out again and eaten by more rats, completing the cycle.

Toxoplasma is one of the most common parasites in developed countries and it is estimated that up to 50% of the world's human population now has it. Recent studies have shown that it can indeed influence human behaviour too and infected humans are almost twice as likely to partake in risk-taking activities - one example being that hosts are statistically more likely to be entrepreneurs. Much like rats lose their fear of cats, humans seemingly lose their 'fear of failure'/inhibitions.

It's estimated that up to a third of UK residents have it and previous estimates show it to be much higher in some countries - e.g. 84% in France due to catching it from undercooked meat.

Now for the crazy theory part. I think it's hypothetically possible that a similar/mutated parasite could result in a global '28 Days Later' type pandemic. Especially considering that rabies (also a parasite) is transmitted by bites and hence makes the host ferally aggressive in order to bite and spread. It also makes them develop hydrophobia to prevent them drinking water and flushing the saliva/parasite from the mouth to the stomach where it can't be passed on (which is bad for the parasite which wants to spread).

A behaviour influencing parasite as contagious as toxoplasma but with similar properties to rabies could quite literally create a zombie outbreak where half the world's population become feral and want to bite people.

But maybe toxoplasma in it's current form is what's missing from my life! 😂

Oh for fucks sake...

And I’ve just lifted my feet if the floor in fear of sexy rats

And to make this extra scary, the people affected would mostly be mad cat ladies.

I've seen the zombies, staggering round Asda all whispering in unison:

"Toilet Roll..."

cool, I really want you to take to the conspiracy nuts. I could be amazing to watch the results as there heads pop.

Love it! I found that quite fascinating. Right going to get my sword ready as we've already learned it's worth more than a gun due to not needing bullets. Are we talking walking dead zombies or Dawn of the dead? Need to know whether to start training if they can run it not.

Mockers they can also be heard to mumble penne pasta too.

There's a horror film with Demi Moore as a sexy scientist re that OP! Judging by the dodgy hygiene & knackered specimen freezers seen at the China virus lab, it'll be lab designed & get out by mistake . I also watched something on giving sheep spider DNA so they'll produce wool as strong as spider webs (who knew they were as strong as that?) & was shuddering theyd even though of it let alone bred them . Then watched some other programme on current military scientific research trends & 1 scientist said anything you can imagine that's morally dubious, unethical or highly dangerous has already been tried or is being tried on the quiet: & we are naive not to think so. He was referring specifically to virus research re bio warfare & breeding weaponised, super aggressive animal hybrids.

I thought this was going to be about zombie ants (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis.)

Which I don’t recommend you google and watch a video of if you’re squeamish!

It's World War Z style zombies I'm scared of - and in the event of a zombie apocalypse, I think that's the way it will go.

I can't fire a gun but I'm pretty good with a crossbow. Now just need to learn how to whittle arrows...

CigarsofthePharoahs

Sherriff's getting an armed possee together to make a raid on the Dolmio warehouse.

My dsis and I have discussed this at length before - particularly combining rabies with another behaviour altering illnesses or parasites.
Have you ever heard of a game called "The Last of Us"? Its a zombie game where the disease is a fungus, rather than a virus - its actually based on a real fungus (ophiocordyceps) which makes infected ants show zombie-like behaviour

However my Dsis is convinced that a vaccine will be the start of the zombie apocalypse - a rushed vaccine will react with the virus in an unexpected way and doom us all. (Granted this was a couple of years ago so not quite in as bad taste as it is now).

Tbh, I've been fascinated by toxoplasmosis and its behaviour-altering effects before, particularly in humans. I have a pet theory that it's secretly responsible for the number of devoted cat slaves on the planet. Using myself as a test subject, I plan on using it to claim my Nobel prize.
So if the apocalypse hits, I'll be abandoning the human relatives, panic buying cat food for my 6 fur babies and holing up far from humanity and spend the rest of my days alternating between arguing with myself and talking to my cats.

Have you been reading ‘Hot Zone’ by Richard Preston?

Same premise - chimera pathogen causes hideous behaviour in the infected (won’t say what, in case anyone wants to read it).

He’s written a few novels about pandemics and also bioterrorism (that’s a nice cheery subject!)

If automation really takes off I’d be more concerned about the Faro Plague becoming a reality, tbh

That ⅓ of UK residents that have it are all currently round our Allison's having a nice cuppa and a game of swing ball cos "fuck this Covid crap"

last of us is a brilliant game. Even before this pandemic, it was creepy of fuck though.

Alexa, play don't stop me now by Queen.

Tbh, I've been fascinated by toxoplasmosis and its behaviour-altering effects before, particularly in humans. I have a pet theory that it's secretly responsible for the number of devoted cat slaves on the planet. Using myself as a test subject, I plan on using it to claim my Nobel prize

Some researchers have already scooped an Ignobel prize in this area, in 2014

PUBLIC HEALTH PRIZE [CZECH REPUBLIC, JAPAN, USA, INDIA]: Jaroslav Flegrr^, Jan Havlíček and Jitka Hanušova-Lindova, and to David Hanauer, Naren Ramakrishnann^, Lisa Seyfried, for investigating whether it is mentally hazardous for a human being to own a cat.
REFERENCE: ” Changes in personality profile of young women with latent toxoplasmosiss^,” Jaroslav Flegr and Jan Havlicek, Folia Parasitologica, vol. 46, 1999, pp. 22-28.
REFERENCE: “Decreased level of psychobiological factor novelty seeking and lower intelligence in men latently infected with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii Dopamine, a missing link between schizophrenia and toxoplasmosis??^” Jaroslav Flegr, Marek Preiss, Jiřı́ Klose, Jan Havlı́ček, Martina Vitáková, and Petr Kodym, Biological Psychology, vol. 63, 2003, pp. 253–268.
REFERENCE: “Describing the Relationship between Cat Bites and Human Depression Using Data from an Electronic Health Recordd^,” David Hanauer, Naren Ramakrishnan, Lisa Seyfried, PLoS ONE, vol. 8, no. 8, 2013, e70585. WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Jaroslav Flegr, David Hanauer, Naren Ramakrishnan

https://www.improbable.com/ig-about/winners/

Only a cat would be clever enough to make its prey fall in love with it

But I thought toxoplasmosis effected unborn babies?

If 1/3 of the population have it should we not be testing women for it or looking at the effects to children.

Anyway, everyone knows it's the T virus that turns you into a zombie.

^My dsis and I have discussed this at length before - particularly combining rabies with another behaviour altering illnesses or parasites.
Have you ever heard of a game called "The Last of Us"? Its a zombie game where the disease is a fungus, rather than a virus - its actually based on a real fungus (ophiocordyceps) which makes infected ants show zombie-like behaviour.^

Yes! I'm hoping they do a remastered version for the PS5 as I've not got a console this gen for the first time ever, but will be getting one around xmas - well, I've got a switch actually but my godson has all but stolen it, the little shit! I played the first 15-20 mins at a friend's house, to just after where it jumps forward and you go on a quest with the female character. I stopped then as didn't want to spoil it.

I was reading an article which said that countries with higher infection rates of toxoplasma are less likely to state 'fear of failure' as a reason for not starting their own business, and students with it are more likely to study business management degrees. Despite being mostly benign, it's definitely scary how much it can manipulate us. There is a proposed link with schizophrenia though which is worrying.

CockCarousel Official recognition that cats do rule the world??

Are we talking walking dead zombies or Dawn of the dead?
Or Shaun of the Dead, and we can all just learn to act like zombies‘That’s excellent Barbara!’

The zombies in "Zombieland" can run. I defo prefer the ones in the "Walking dead" as they are rather slow.

I always assumed that zombies were based on plaque victims. They'll go to you for help and then when you try to help them, you get infected too.