nclowe76 asked: What's the expected "unlifespan" for a traditional (Romero style) zombie?
Depends if you want them to “alive” or not. In the book I wrote, based as closely as I medically could on the Romero zombies (but still clearly fiction!), the lifespan is longer than it ought to be for someone super-sick, but still finite. After a while, the body needs nutrients to maintain metabolism. My zombies (what a silly phrase!) need to eat like any other living thing, but the virus allows them to ambulate longer than other similarly ill inidividuals. The virus codes for self-parasitosis - i.e., the body eats itself to maintain a longer period to act as vector. (I’m really not a gross guy! I promise!)












When I was a kid, Mr. Nimoy (i.e. the guy who played Spock) hosted this totally creepy and really fun show called “In Search Of.” At the end of every episode, I was just a tiny bit convinced that what I was sure did not exist just might happen to exist. This included Bigfoot, Vampires, Aliens, and The Bermuda Triangle. It was like a primer for Fox Moulder’s interests. I may have endured more sleepless nights from this program than I ever did from watching the Creature Features on Saturday morning UHF. Well, the Art Department at Rhodes College is doing a retrospective of this show, and I get to deliver a zombie lecture to add to the event. If you live in Memphis, please come join us. It is September 20th. But be prepared to believe….