Zombies are a pervasive trope in popular culture,
from movies to video games, graphic novels and literature. Whilst
we fear, or have conflicting feelings about death, there’s a
special horror associated with the undead. Many cultures have
folklore or legends associated with the dead returning to life. The
myth of the zombie originated in Haitian culture, where a person,
not alive but not dead either, is enslaved by spells. This was
popularised in movies in the mid 20th century, but really
entered popular culture with the 1968 film, ‘Night of the Living
Dead’.
In this talk, neuroscientist Dr Jenny Lange
puts a scientific spin on the zombie genre. We discuss how a fungal
infection can turn ants into mindless insect zombies, and the
spread of chronic wasting disease in deer, often wrongly referred
to in the media as zombie deer disease. Could these spread to
humans and lead to the zombie apocalypse so often featured in
movies? We’ll delve into the different kinds of zombie tropes
presented in popular culture – whilst zombies lack consciousness,
what areas of the brain would still need to be active and
functioning for a zombie to sense its prey? What could drive their
hunger for human flesh? How could we cure a zombie outbreak? Join
Dr Jenny Lange for a not entirely serious look into the
neuroscience of the zombies phenomenon.
Dr Jenny Lange
Dr Jenny Lange is a neuroscientist specialising in
uncovering the mechanisms of rare neurological disorders. Initially
en route to becoming a psychologist, Jenny became intrigued by the
field of psychopharmacology and completed a PhD in Neuroscience at
King’s College London. She’s currently working as a postdoctoral
fellow at the UK Dementia Research Institute, University College
London. In her free time, Jenny has a keen interest in medical
history, gothic literature and thanatology.