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Researchers at University Of Ottawa and Carleton University, both in Ottawa Canada, have delved into the subject of Zombies. "When Zombies Attack!: Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak Of Zombie Infection" is the title of their paper. Looks like Canada is leading the way to ensuring a secure future for humanity.
http://www2.carleton.ca/newsroom/top...ie-apocalypse/
"It’s a display of the rigorous math, statistics and models used to analyze infection rates of real-life diseases and to demonstrate how a virus spreads through a population."
One problem the researchers had in modelling zombie attacks is that popular culture has yielded two different types of undead, the second of which can potentially infect people faster. The slow-moving, mindless variety was made famous by the classic 1968 thriller Night of the Living Dead , while the smarter, faster and more independent type have cropped up in more recent films such as 28 Days Later and the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.
In the end, the faster, brainier zombies didn’t make the cut when it came to modelling.
The mathematicians considered a scenario in which there was rapid “zombification” after people were bitten by undead creatures, and another in which the incubation period was 24 hours. Both ended badly for the human race. “In this [second] case, the zombies take over, but it takes approximately twice as long.”
They considered quarantining the zombies where possible. This didn’t avert catastrophe either, even if captured zombies were destroyed.
Finally, they studied the impact of a cure that restored the humanity of the infected, but didn’t grant people immunity. In this case, some humans survived, but only in low numbers.
The only solution that worked was rapid destruction of zombies - the same lesson conveyed by Hollywood.
“As seen in the movies, it is imperative that zombies are dealt with quickly, or else we are all in a great deal of trouble,” the mathematicians said
Here is the actual study
www.mathstat.uottawa.ca/~rsmith/Zombies.pdf
Other links
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8206280.stm
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2...-research.html
This guy knows what's up.
http://www2.carleton.ca/newsroom/top...ie-apocalypse/
"It’s a display of the rigorous math, statistics and models used to analyze infection rates of real-life diseases and to demonstrate how a virus spreads through a population."
One problem the researchers had in modelling zombie attacks is that popular culture has yielded two different types of undead, the second of which can potentially infect people faster. The slow-moving, mindless variety was made famous by the classic 1968 thriller Night of the Living Dead , while the smarter, faster and more independent type have cropped up in more recent films such as 28 Days Later and the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.
In the end, the faster, brainier zombies didn’t make the cut when it came to modelling.
The mathematicians considered a scenario in which there was rapid “zombification” after people were bitten by undead creatures, and another in which the incubation period was 24 hours. Both ended badly for the human race. “In this [second] case, the zombies take over, but it takes approximately twice as long.”
They considered quarantining the zombies where possible. This didn’t avert catastrophe either, even if captured zombies were destroyed.
Finally, they studied the impact of a cure that restored the humanity of the infected, but didn’t grant people immunity. In this case, some humans survived, but only in low numbers.
The only solution that worked was rapid destruction of zombies - the same lesson conveyed by Hollywood.
“As seen in the movies, it is imperative that zombies are dealt with quickly, or else we are all in a great deal of trouble,” the mathematicians said
Here is the actual study
www.mathstat.uottawa.ca/~rsmith/Zombies.pdf
Other links
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8206280.stm
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2...-research.html
This guy knows what's up.
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