Physics Proves the Mall is the Best Zombie Hideout After All

[parasearchers]

LiveScience.com-- When Woody Harrelson escapes the living dead in "Zombieland", a new movie opening this Friday, should he head for the hills or the mall? A recently published research paper suggests that he's probably better off hiding in the mall to save his delicious brain.

The world is full of things that move in zombie-like fashion, such as particles flowing through a turbulent fluid or the unpredictable price changes of the stock market (PS Note: Or Republicans, note that large gatherings of them do act like hordes of Zombies), so physicists seek insight into this behavior by creating so called "random walking" models.

Physicist Davide Cassi at the Università di Parma in Italy looked at how long an entity hiding in a complex structure could survive if being pursued by predatory random walkers. Cassi's paper, recently published in the journal Physical Review E, is the first to describe a general principle of a prey’s likelihood to survive over time while hiding in an irregular structure.

Though the paper itself does not specifically refer to fleeing from zombies, it describes "the survival probability of immobile targets annihilated by random walkers." The conclusions suggest that the people trapped in a mall in "Dawn of the Dead" may be better off than the folks stuck in a farmhouse in "Night of the Living Dead."

Cassi found that the likelihood of survival when threatened by predatory random walkers is closely related to how complex the prey’s hideout is. The more twists and turns, the safer you'll be. In structures that are highly complex and irregular, the chances of the predator coming into contact with its target shrinks down to almost zero.

Cassi formulates a model to describe the behavior of randomly moving particles as they travel through maze-like networks. He said that his work could apply to a wide variety of situations including the distribution of information through the internet and medicine spreading through the human body.

"There are a lot of applications of these results in a lot of fields of sciences," Cassi said. "The most amazing field of applications of these results are in biology, biochemistry and other organisms."

So remember, when the zombies come, flee to the biggest shopping mall you can find and remember that, using zombie movies as a guide, the undead often win.

Inside Science News Service is supported by the American Institute of Physics.

http://parasearcher.blogspot.com/2009/09/physics-proves-mall-is-best-zombie.html

[parasearchers]

1. As a service to the DU community

Here is a link to the largest malls in America.

:P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_shopping_malls_in_the_United_States

[SidDithers]

2. Everyone should maybe get a copy of Max Brooks' book too...

Just in case.

Sid

[SIMPLYB1980]

3. All I need is my Boom Stick and a chainsaw for a hand,

and maybe the Necronomicon. Hail to the King baby!

[parasearchers]

4. Awesome! Ash is the expert :)

[TlalocW]

5. I had a dream

Where I was trapped in a nursing home where the residents had been turned into zombies. My dream self almost panicked, but then it saw that these zombies were REEEEEEEEEALLY slow, some using walkers, canes, etc. to the point that I started messing with them - when they would get within a foot of me, I would take a step back and wait 5 minutes for them to make up the distance to be within a foot of me again. Pissed them off.

Eventually, I found some sort of capsule that I could throw at them to turn them back into humans. Fun dream.

TlalocW

[phatkatt]

6. BUT, zombies still have senses ...

... so they are not truly "random". They can see you, hear when the small dog of child you found in the toy store barks, and even smell your delicious brain. We learned from "Shaun Of The Dead" that they retain much of their intellect as well.

Obviously this subject demands further study before the upcoming zombie apocalypse.

[SIMPLYB1980]

7. The only ones I worry about are the runners.

http://zombiehunters.org/wiki/index.php/Zombies#Runners

"While most zombies move in a noticeably slow and strained manner, Runners have little to no deterioration of motor functions (while decay has not yet occurred). Runners are able to sprint as fast (and sometimes faster) than the average human, and can maintain that speed almost indefinitely. The retention of their motor functions allows Runners to operate with much of the same physical capabilities as do living humans.

However, they share the characteristic of Rage Zombies and Shamblers and also operate with an altered mental state that leaves them incapable of high levels of thought and rationality. They too exhibit the behavior and the mental capacity that can best be compared to that of a wild animal.

The Runners' degree of speed and mobility makes them especially dangerous as they often can not be outrun, as can Shamblers, and their stamina is virtually indefinite. Runners often present some degree of decay, or "undead biology", as seen in Shamblers. While the share many of the same physical characteristics in terms of appearance, Runners are more physically resilient than Rage Zombies because Runners are in fact deceased, reanimated human beings.

Because a Runner is dead, it can not bleed out nor starve, as can a Rage Zombie. Runners are capable of sustaining massive physical damage and continue to operate at some level. A Runner can be incapacitated by delivering destruction to its physical structure, but it will continue to operate at some level and thus, still be dangerous.

The only manner in which a Runner can be immediately and permanently stopped is to completely destroy the brain. Note: if the head of a Runner or Shambler is separated cleanly from its body, this zombie will still for some time be dangerous and capable of infecting living humans through its bite.

As with Shamblers, the Runners experience biological decay."

[phatkatt]

8. Yes the runners are especially problematic ...

... but at least their numbers should be small due to the fact that they are re-animated before any decay has occurred (or embalming), and since most recent deaths will be due to attack from zombies and thus their brain already be eaten, the runners will be produced from non-zombie accidental deaths which in turn will suggest some form of physical impairment.

[SIMPLYB1980]

9. That is true unless the runner zombie is also a Splinter Zombie

created by a Druid.

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-6911-RPG-Examiner~y2009m9d13-Bizarre-Beasts-Splinter-Zombie

"With poster children like these two, it's no wonder adventurers aren't afraid of plants. The Splinter Zombie will change that perception quickly.

Similar to other contagious monsters, like the ghoul and the wraith, Splinter Zombies infect you -- quickly. Worse, Splinter Zombies merge into a larger form. Though it has the word "zombie" in the title, Splinter Zombies are anything but slow-moving undead.

We all know that druids are jealous of clerics. Clerics get all the glory with the healing and the turning and the resurrecting. But with a Splinter Zombie, the druid gets an opportunity to one-up the cleric. The expression on the cleric's face will be priceless when he realizes that the zombie bashing its head against the door isn't a zombie at all."

[parasearchers]

10. So Far We have for Classification purposes:

Traditionlist Zombies. i.e. "Shamblers"

"Runners" 28 days later

Demonically Possessed Zombies or DP's if we use the techincal jargon.. "Army of Darkness"

Super Zombies: tool using ones

Splinter Zombies...Btw saw that movie "Splinter" that was a great movie!

Political Zombies --not true undead in the normal sense, however due to being compeletly brain dead still live on...voting, voting and they like delicious brains.

what other types are there?

[SIMPLYB1980]

11. That is an interesting question.

I think that their is almost a limitless classification of what constitutes a zombie. Zombies have been around for a long time and I believe that they become whatever the societies that discuss them need them to be in order to them help make points about the society that they live in.

Take this for instance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella_Corporation

"Umbrella Corporation

The Umbrella Corporation is a fictional bioengineering pharmaceutical company appearing in the Resident Evil series of survival horror games by Capcom and in its film adaptations.<1> It is a major international player in a number of markets including pharmaceuticals, medical hardware, defense, and computers along with more clandestine operations utilizing genetic engineering and bio-weaponry. The company also has a more public face, producing cosmetics, consumer products and foods.

One of Umbrella's subsidiaries is a private military contractor with a highly-trained security force capable of rescue, reconnaissance, and para-military operations. The corporation uses the force to secure and protect its assets and high profile employees."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_creatures_in_the_Resident_Evil_series

"Tyrant

A Tyrant is a fictional creature from the Resident Evil series. Tyrants make appearances in almost every Resident Evil game as antagonists. They are portrayed as biologically engineered super soldiers, used by the Umbrella Corporation. There are many types of tyrants as the result of several different experiments.

The desire to create an obedient super soldier lies at the core of Resident Evil's story line. Following the discovery of the Progenitor virus, the Umbrella corporation’s founders become eager to create a bio-weapon that is both powerful and capable of following orders. Prior to the events of Resident Evil Zero, Umbrella used the Progenitor Virus to create the T-virus, which they believe can be used to manufacture powerful organisms. A problem with the virus’ compatibility with humans set the project back, as only humans with a very rare genetic makeup are capable of mutating into potent and manageable life forms. Umbrella eventually overcome this setback by resorting to using clones of Sergei Vladimir,<3> one of their executives who happens to be genetically compatible."

[frylock]

12. this is good info..

bookmarking for the pending zombie holocaust.

[SidDithers]

13. From the University of Ottawa...

When Zombies Attack: Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection

http://www.mathstat.uottawa.ca/~rsmith/Zombies.pdf

Sid

[SIMPLYB1980]

14. Thanks for the info. Some more tips on surviving the

coming zombie apocalypse. Keep your survival kit prepped and ready at all times!

http://www.zombiehub.com/zombie-survival-kit.html

"There a few types of survival kits; stashes, mini-kits and bug-out kit. A stash is a large collection of horded food and supplies usually set up for long term use under siege situations. Mini kits hold basic supplies and are designed to fit in small places such as a motor vehicle. Bug-out kits are portable survival kits also known as "Personal Emergency Relocation Kits"; these are used for quick escape and survival for a few days. Bug-out kits usually also contain tools that aid in gathering resources for more prolonged times after limited supplies run out.

Before creating an emergency zombie survival kit or kits you must ask yourself a few questions: What type of kit should I make? How many people will I be providing for? Where should I keep my kit? How much food and water do need? Where would I go under extreme conditions? ECT… Look at your surroundings. If a zombie outbreak were to happen right now are you in a safe location. This is a great deciding factor for preparing your kit. Think of any situation that could happen and consider preparation for the most probable dangers. What will you need in your kit? Every situation is different for everyone and kits can be modified for specific purposes.

Location matters, it might be smart to keep smaller emergency survival kits in your car or at work. Also you might want to keep different styles of kits depending on your location, for example: If you live in the mountains away from large populations in a fairly zombie proof home you might consider keeping a long term stash. On the other hand if you live in an inner city location in a not so zombie proof home you might want to rely more on a light bug-out kit to get you to a safer location."

[HappyCynic]

15. Staying on the move?

I think there needs to be consideration for staying on the move (with most of the time spent outside the cities). Once you hole up anywhere, the zombies can congregate, increasing their numbers, while at the same time, your supplies and ability to replenish them diminishes. It basically increases your immediate survival chances but may screw you in the long run. If you keep on the move, your danger level may be slightly higher but it'll be more stable (instead of constantly increasing).