Down in Australia it's national science week. To get on board with the activities check out the web site here. We kicked it off last night at the cub pack sleep over participating in the Big Aussie Star Hunt.
But of the many benefits offered by Science this one caught my eye. By mathematicians at the Carlton University & University of Ottowa have completed research on
WHEN ZOMBIES ATTACK!: MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF AN OUTBREAK OF ZOMBIE INFECTION
Here is a link to the chapter.
It examines three possible stratigies
- quarantine (could lead to eradication, but unlikely to happen)
- treatment (some humans survive, but they still must coexist with zombies),
but shows that there is REALLY only one strategy likely to succeed:
“impulsive eradication.”
I love it -
“impulsive eradication.”
Probably like the impulsive eradication demonstrated in the new trailer for the upcoming survival training video with Woody Harrelson 'ZOMBIELAND'
The study goes on to record “Only sufficiently frequent attacks, with increasing force, will result in eradication, assuming the available resources can be mustered in time,” they concluded.
And if we don’t act fast enough?
“If the timescale of the outbreak increases, then the result is the doomsday scenario: an outbreak of zombies will result in the collapse of civilization, with every human infected, or dead,” they wrote. “This is because human births and deaths will provide the undead with a limitless supply of new bodies to infect, resurrect and convert.”
How fast do we need to deal with the outbreak?
Here’s the equation they used, where S = susceptibles, Z = zombies and R = removed. If an infection breaks out in a city of 500,000 people, the zombies will outnumber the susceptibles in about three hours.
So there it is -Aim for the head and shoot fast.
This is an example where the world of academia is providing useful advice to deal with real world situations.
I love science.
Oh, thanks Barnesm. Now the Zombies will know to strike the US first; obviously our own scientists have their priorities misguided toward other areas of research.
ReplyDeleteFabulous!Even in jest, I'm ready for the possibility of havin' to impulsively eradicate.
ReplyDeleteWent to see "District 9" last night and got to see an extended preview for "Zombieland" and it got me even more stoked than I already am. I'm also chomping at the bit for "Dead Snow" to hit dvd. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-KQh87_V2Q
"District 9" - Not as good as I thought it would be but still decent. Worth watching.
Problem is, them pasty math geeks are big with the book larnin' numbers but are gonna be next to useless when it comes to an actual firefight with Zed and his poorly dressed hordes. Too busy finessing their model with real-time data as to whether they're runners or shamblers.
ReplyDeleteWhy wasn't preemptive strike listed as an option?
ReplyDeleteintelliwench
ReplyDeleteSome fear the US has already been infected, not to mention the dreaded Zombie Poodles.
Heidi Germanaus
Dead Snow is certainly a lot of fun,Zombieland may be my next big favour Zombie film. Looking forward to your assistance at the barricades in the Zombieapocalypse.
Dr Yobbo
Someone has to run the data, obviously the role for the rest of us is to keep the walking dead from biting Science Guy/Girl long enough for them to come up with the solution. Just like in Left4Dead protecting the one on the minigun.
PP
Because some some damn fool lawyer would argue that its murder to kill someone who could turn into a Zombie before they become a zombie.
For myself I would consider killing them about a month before the dead rise entirely appropriate. Some folk I'd kill right now 'just in case'.
Am waiting for zombieland with great hope. As I do the formal release of the Bushmaster ACR THE zombie cranial degrading system of choice
ReplyDeleteWho would have thought math would prove so useful?
ReplyDelete