Zombie Apocalypse explained through scientific methods. - I am legend and World War Z

 

Zombie apocalypse may sound bizarre and unrealistic to all of us but I am pretty sure while watching a zombie movie we all have wondered about what we would do if we ever encountered a zombie apocalypse. Well I can’t fully take responsibility of saying that such an apocalypse is impossible or would never happen as I am not qualified enough. However after watching several Hollywood movies based on this particular topic I have concluded the idea that a vaccine might come in handy during such times. Two such movies which use vaccines as a cure to Zombie outbreak are “I am Legend” and “World War Z (WWZ)”.  This blog will present scientific methods on how the vaccines were developed in each movie.

I am Legend  and WWZ posters via IMDB

Before we dig into the movies let's understand  what scientific method is and how it's carried out?

 

Scientific method involves meticulous observation and a high level of skepticism about what is observed, because cognitive preconceptions might influence how the observation is interpreted In general, the scientific method is widely used in science, spanning a wide range of disciplines. The scientific method is essential for the creation of scientific hypotheses that explain empirical facts in a scientifically rational manner. In a normal scientific method a researcher makes a hypothesis, tests it using various methods, and then alters it based on the results of the tests and experiments. The new hypothesis is then retested, further changed, and retested until it matches observable events and testing results. Hypotheses serve as tools for scientists to collect data in this way. Scientists can build broad general explanations, or scientific theories, based on that evidence and the numerous scientific experiments conducted to investigate possibilities (Britannica, 2021).

I am Legend

It is shown at the start of the movie that a doctor named Dr. Krippen claims to have found the cure of cancer by genetically modifying the Measles virus. There is not much data provided except that she carried out trials on ten thousand and nine people who were all cured of cancer. Let’s hold on and talk about Dr. Krippen’s confidence: She infected 10,009 and claims that they were all cured of cancer, while we understand that how desperate the world is to find cure for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s but in reality scientists are a bit more cautious than Dr. Krippen. What I mean is that in reality doctors will carry out all six Vaccination making phases carefully, they will have multiple trials before testing the vaccine on humans moreover, they will not try the first approved dose on such a big number of people. This might have been possible in a pandemic like Covid' 19 but not for a disease like cancer as it's not contagious. In the next scene it is shown that after three years all New York City has been destroyed and only one man named Dr. Robert with his dog lives in the city. People who were cured of cancer through Dr. Krippens drugs then started having symptoms like rabies which eventually turned into a Virus named Krippen. Therefore it is then understood that the reason for this destruction is a zombie apocalypse which was caused by Krippen’s virus. Dr. Robert who has lost his family to this apocalypse remains in New York City in hope to find a cure for the outbreak as he believed ground zero would serve him better evidence of where and how the outbreak started.

Screen shot from the movie I am legend where DR.Krippen is explain the effectiveness of the vaccine 

Screen shot from the movie I am Legend where DR.Krippen is explain the effectiveness of the vaccine 

While Dr. Robert was alone patrolling the New York City he made few observations about the zombies and the outbreak in general:

•         These zombies hide in dark as light burns their skin are thus called dark seekers.
•         One particular scene when Robert traps a female zombie for his experiment shows aggressive behavior from an Alpha zombie proving that they were still capable of feeling emotions.
• He female zombie that he captured showed success in vaccine trial when her body was kept on ice.

It is seen in the movie that Dr. Robert has a very well equipped lab where he has been carrying researches for a vaccine using his own immune blood on mice. In a scene when he infects a mice with a particular compound of vaccine he sees that unlike other mice this mice does not act aggressively.

He then finally he derives one hypothesis: If this particular compound shows a slight positive response in the mice then there is a possibility it might work on humans as well. We need to understand that this was possible because Dr. Robert's blood contained antibodies that worked to control the virus in the mice. Each pathogen has numerous subunits that are generally particular to that pathogen and the sickness it produces.  To understand this w need to know that an antigen is a component of a pathogen that induces the production of antibodies. The immune system relies heavily on antibodies generated in reaction to the pathogen's antigen. Antigen-specific antibodies are created and act with the rest of the immune system to eliminate the infection and stop the sickness from spreading. Antibodies to one disease seldom protect against antibodies to another pathogen, unless the two infections are highly related, such as relatives.(WHO, 2020)

Dr. Robert in denial via giphy.com

When he captures a female zombie whom he infects with same compound that showed slight positive change in the mice he proves his hypothesis right as it works on the female zombie. This method of testing is called T2 domain as the possible cure is tested on the infected person as there Dr. Robert did not have the liberty of doing human trials. At first Dr. Robert was disheartened as there was not much change shown. However at the end of the movie when he along with another lady and a child are attacked by zombies Dr. Robert sees that the Female zombie as recovered. Dr. Robert being the hero of the show then gives a sample other blood to the lady and her son and asks them to flee via a secret passage of the ab. Dr. Robert who has already lost his family and his dog who was his partner on this three year adventure finally found redemption and bombed himself along all the zombies. 

Alpha Zombie, Dr. Robert with Sam Via Hannah Shaw Williams 

World War Z

The movie starts with Garry Lane's family in the car when the traffic is suddenly attacked by Zombies, unlike I am Legend the ground zero for this outbreak is not New York or the United States of America. It is shown that the characters are confused as to what is causing people to behave like animals, however it is seen in the movie that Garry Lane's family is rescued through his friend’s chopper. A virologist, Dr. Andrew Fassbach then tells that to stop the outbreak it is necessary to find ground zero to know what actually caused the virus. Garry then decides help Fassbach and ventures for the cure. Garry’s team is informed that such scenes where seen in South Korean few days back and that is where he goes, after South Korea Garry is goes to Israel where a save zoon is created by building a 50 feet long wall. From his journey of South Korea and Israel Garry makes few observations:

•        In the very first scene of the movie Garry notices that the virus spreads in exactly 12 seconds.
•        These zombie’s do not go after people who already have a disease in their body, are old or disabled in any way. Thus proving that the only aim of these zombies is to spread the virus through healthy host bodies as they are shown to bite and leave the people.

Zombie's climbing the 50 feet long wall via Hendrik Hertzberg

Upon arriving the facility where scientists have been working on a cure Garry makes a hypothesis that “If a terminal but curable pathogen is injected in a healthy body then it might not attract the zombies” and to our surprise yet again the main character of the movie was right. His hypotheses did prove to be right. However I must say Unlike Dr. Robert’s solution Garry’s solution make more sense.  It was then concluded in the movie that a "vaccine" created from dangerous viruses can be developed to serve as camouflage for forces fighting afflicted people. While this seems much exaggerated as its part of a movie but there do exist some parasites ( Parasites are organisms that live in and feed off a living host) who lay eggs in other healthy bodies in order to save their lineage.(Pietrangelo, 2019) Unlike zombies from I am Legend zombies in this movie did seem to not have functioning brains, like normal humans but consciously or unconsciously they were making sure to increase their type to safeguard themselves. Like zombie's seem very fictional but the science shown in these movie's is not that fake for example the fact that the vaccine for Small Pox was actually discovered by directly injecting the pathogen into the body.  Edward Jenner scraped fluid from a cowpox blister into the skin of an eight-year-old child, on May 14, 1796. The child had a single blister on the location but he recovered quickly. Jenner injected the kid with smallpox particles again on July 1, but no sickness occurred.  The vaccination was effective (History, 2021)

Both these movie show  very different scientific approaches in order to find the cure but what remains similar is that a vaccine needs to be developed to counter such pandemics and if it’s a Hollywood movie then only an American character is capable to do so.  

Movie Poster Via IMDB

 

By Sania Karim

 

 

Sources:

Britannica. (2021, October 15). scientific method. (Britannica, Ed.)

History. (2021, May 14). Early smallpox vaccine is tested.

Pietrangelo, A. (2019, march 17). Parasitic Worms in Humans: Know the Facts.

WHO. (2020). How do vaccines work. WOrld Health Organization.