# Zombie Virus Drives Caterpillars To An Explosive Death



## Stephen (Jan 17, 2011)

Zombie Virus Drives Caterpillars To An Explosive Death | Care2 Causes



> The virus “ends up using just about all of the caterpillar to make more virus, and there are other genes in the virus that then make the caterpillar melt. So it becomes a pool of millions of virus particles that end up dropping onto the foliage below where it can infect other moths that eat those leaves,” study co-author Kelli Hoover told National Geographic.


Gross! roud:


----------



## Eerie (Feb 9, 2011)

Poor caterpillars


----------



## absentminded (Dec 3, 2010)




----------



## TreeBob (Oct 11, 2008)

The fun thing about this article is that it confirms that a human zombie could exist. Now, what a human variation of this virus would act like is unknown, but it could happen.


----------



## Stephen (Jan 17, 2011)

TreeBob said:


> The fun thing about this article is that it confirms that a human zombie could exist. Now, what a human variation of this virus would act like is unknown, but it could happen.


Also that we couldn't climb trees to escape them. :shocked:


----------



## Fizz (Nov 13, 2010)

Stephen said:


> Also that we couldn't climb trees to escape them. :shocked:


Are these flesh eating human zombies that a the possibility or supermarket get-in-your-way-because-they're-unaware-of-others kind of zombie? I hate the latter. Possibly even more than flesh eating.


----------



## MachinegunDojo (Dec 27, 2009)

Damn, I was hoping to find videos of exploding zombie caterpillars!


----------



## Stephen (Jan 17, 2011)

People! Come on, now. Say science things about this. :tongue:


----------



## Runvardh (May 17, 2011)

Reminds me of this:
Zombie Ants Bite at High Noon, Die at Sunset | Parasites & Mind Control | LiveScience


----------



## The Proof (Aug 5, 2009)

state people look at zombie virus "ooooh this looks like a good idea, let's spread it around and mass produce it"

start stocking up on canned food and ammunition...


----------



## RobynC (Jun 10, 2011)

@Runvardh and @The Proof

I wonder how long it will be before a government creates some kind of genetically modified pathogen like the parasitic disease _(that affects ants)_ that would affect the minds of humans, or a virus like the zombie virus which would kill humans in a similar manner. 

Yeah, I know I'm a huge cynic and I expect the worst.


----------



## Runvardh (May 17, 2011)

RobynC said:


> @Runvardh and @The Proof
> 
> I wonder how long it will be before a government creates some kind of genetically modified pathogen like the parasitic disease _(that affects ants)_ that would affect the minds of humans, or a virus like the zombie virus which would kill humans in a similar manner.
> 
> Yeah, I know I'm a huge cynic and I expect the worst.


After reading a few of your posts I must admit to my lack of surprise. The idea is a well used one these days, but now there's real science that could back up the possibility. The thing is, both host species are rather simple compared to a human, so it would take some real engineering still.


----------



## RobynC (Jun 10, 2011)

@Runvardh



> After reading a few of your posts I must admit to my lack of surprise.


:laughing: As I said, I'm a cynic who generally expects the worst. I'm not cynical about everything though.



> now there's real science that could back up the possibility.


Most of my cynicism is generally based either on fact, knowledge of human behavior, or of how power works



> it would take some real engineering still.


Yes, that is true.


----------



## Runvardh (May 17, 2011)

RobynC said:


> As I said, I'm a cynic who generally expects the worst. I'm not cynical about everything though. :laughing:


No, it's the pattern of thought and subject together. You don't seem simple enough to think that way about everything, just certain subjects that lend themselves to that kind of thought process.


----------



## RobynC (Jun 10, 2011)

@Runvardh

I can't argue with you on that


----------



## sprinkles (Feb 7, 2010)

Next caterpillar I find shall be named Mr. Splodey


----------



## Stephen (Jan 17, 2011)

sprinkles said:


> Next caterpillar I find shall be named Mr. Splodey


I hope he doesn't take it personally. He may have heard about this epidemic.


----------



## Spiny (Jun 21, 2011)

Brutal! Poor caterpillars =(


----------



## Kirilenko (Dec 21, 2010)

Because the baculovirus that causes this strange behavior only affects invertebrates, scientists think that it could be a useful tool in controlling invasive caterpillar populations like the gypsy moth.

This sounds promising and good business.


----------

