Real Zombies, Part One: Parasitic Zombification
Parasites are everywhere in biology, and they are often harmful to their hosts. But did you know parasites can “zombify” their hosts, making them act in ways that run counter to their interests?
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Real Zombies, Part Two: Viral Zombification
Viruses—the tiniest of parasites—also zombify their hosts. To the extent that they can, they transform them into living things that really aren’t the same critters anymore. Understanding this transformation can clarify how we humans end up doing destructive things, things that don’t fit our image of who we are.
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Real Zombies, Part Three: Malignant Habits
Habits. We’ve got good ones and bad ones. Sometimes, though, our bad habits seem to take on a life of their own. Then we may find ourselves doing things we would not choose, as if we turned into some kind of zombie. Drug addictions and alcoholism are examples of this kind of malignant, out-of-control habit. The conventional wisdom is that the substances are the cause. But this explanation hasn’t helped much. Addictions are more common than ever. Could it be that there’s another, better explanation – one that’s more useful?
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