Using Chemistry to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse
I must admit that I'm a huge The Walking Dead fan. I would like to say that I only watch for the human element of the post-apocalyptic melodrama, but I have to confess that I also enjoy the catharsis of the action as well. What I have found interesting is to see how this zombie-mania has perfused from pop culture phenom to science. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has used 'zombie preparedness' as a way to educate people about how to survive various hazards. They even have a website dedicated to it (see link below).
CDC guide for zombie preparedness
The American Chemical Society (ACS), the premier international chemistry professional organization, has even used it as a way to engage an audience with chemistry. They developed one of their reaction videos to explain how chemistry could be used to trick a zombie--SPOILER ALERT--much in the way that Carol in The Walking Dead "hid" herself amongst the zombies by disguising herself as a corpse by smearing innards and gore on herself. Who knew that the living dead had such a great olfactory system? (LOL)
In the ACS video (displayed below), they use this opportunity to discuss the organic compounds that give rotting flesh its characteristic, pungent smell: the aptly named putrescine and cadaverine. Moreover, the thiol-containing methanethiol can be added to the milieu to further enhance the aroma. I wonder what other innovations science has to help us survive such an apocalypse.... :)
I am big supporter of using tongue-in-cheek methods to educate people in the sciences. Have any of you come across other examples?
ACS link to surviving zombie apocalypse
1. http://www.themarysue.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Carol-at-Terminus.jpg
CDC guide for zombie preparedness
The American Chemical Society (ACS), the premier international chemistry professional organization, has even used it as a way to engage an audience with chemistry. They developed one of their reaction videos to explain how chemistry could be used to trick a zombie--SPOILER ALERT--much in the way that Carol in The Walking Dead "hid" herself amongst the zombies by disguising herself as a corpse by smearing innards and gore on herself. Who knew that the living dead had such a great olfactory system? (LOL)
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| Carol from The Walking Dead (1) |
In the ACS video (displayed below), they use this opportunity to discuss the organic compounds that give rotting flesh its characteristic, pungent smell: the aptly named putrescine and cadaverine. Moreover, the thiol-containing methanethiol can be added to the milieu to further enhance the aroma. I wonder what other innovations science has to help us survive such an apocalypse.... :)
I am big supporter of using tongue-in-cheek methods to educate people in the sciences. Have any of you come across other examples?
ACS link to surviving zombie apocalypse
1. http://www.themarysue.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Carol-at-Terminus.jpg
Although I can't remember, off the top of my head, any other tongue-in-cheek ways to teach science, this article did remind me of another article I'd just read about recent developments in forensic science. One of the aspects the article (unfortunately, it cannot be accessed without membership to the Society for Science and the Public: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/wanted-crime-solving-bacteria-and-body-odor) discussed the use of microbes. Among other things, one's unique body microflora (the uniqueness of which was being tested by one researcher interviewed, Silvana Trideco of Australia's Murdoch University. The MITRE Corporation also has conducted research to this end for the Department of Homeland Security (http://www.mitre.org/publications/project-stories/human-odor-sniffing-out-identity-and-deception).) Brown et al. published work in Forensic Science International in 2013 (DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.01.008.) showcasing their own work in using a mass spectrometer to analyze the smells of living volunteers. Their work demonstrated that each individual does seem to have a unique scent. This could be especially useful in forensics, because it'd be extremely difficult to wipe away a smell.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of the dead, however, Kenneth Furton of Florida International University explains (in the first linked article) that the scent of a person’s body changes ‘almost immediately’ upon death, and that this smell continues to evolve throughout the process of decay. (Anyone who’s ever had experience buying meat can attest to this- spoiled meat, which has been dead longer than fresh, has a very different odor!) The complexity of this entire phenomenon has yet to be entirely elucidated, but it could prove very important for the zombie apocalypse, should zombies prove to show greater aversion to meals at different stages of decay. This question, however, may have to wait for the great scientists of the zombie apocalypse to try and answer it.
I just think its funny how zombies have exploded on the scene. We have all these movies and shows that have brought to life the world of zombies like Zombieland and the biggest being The walking Dead. But with this craze going lets see if we can create the dead smell without all of the mess. This deftly isn't a smell nobody wants now but if the apocalypse comes it would be the most popular cologne and you wouldn't have to smear guts all over your cloths. Thank Goodness science is preparing us for any apocalypse.
ReplyDeleteThere were a few things from the video that I thought were interesting. Most obviously, the two 'smelly' molecules were named Putrescine and Cadaverine. That's hilarious. I can imagine a few scientists stumped on what to name these particular molecules. Someone suggested Putrescine. Everyone clapped. Someone yelled "And what about Cadaverine for the other one?", and the crowd went WILD. (I like to imagine that's how science works.)
ReplyDeleteI also thought that that the chemical makeup of the two compounds was interesting. They are so similar! This is because Putresine is derived from arginine and Cadaverine is derived from lysine. These amino acids have a similar makeup.
Lastly, I think it's an interesting idea overall. Zombies aren't cannibals (or are they? There's the philosophical question of the day..). Zombies don't eat other zombies. So, if we smelled like zombies, zombies won't eat us. My response is this: why do we need to smell like zombies? Can we pick something less foul? Zombies also don't eat pine trees. I would much rather smell like a pine tree or a puppy or something less awful. It might be more difficult, but I think the extra effort would be worth it.
I think that this video is a hidden form of education. I personally do not keep up with all of the zombie talk, but it is huge in our pop culture. With this comes many extremists that would do anything for protection against a zombie apocalypse. These extremists are more concerned with death from zombies than death in any other form. Therefore, their attention is directed towards items such as the cologne. This video provides educational information of the science that goes into products like this. The zombie extreme enthusiasts who watch this will quote scientific facts from the video without even realizing what they are really saying. I think that it is great how science is now being incorporated into our pop culture. Who knows, it may start a scientific interested spark in someone's life.
ReplyDeleteTo begin with, the CDC is genius! What a great way to grab people’s attention and get them to learn emergency essentials! Weirdly, finding about things like this is what keeps me in awe of our Creator. My reasoning behind this is that everything is made with such complexity and intricacy. And due to our likeness of Him, we are able to learn, recreate, and put the things we make to use. Who would have thought we would be able to take some E. coli, make some chemicals (like putrescine, cadaverine, and methanethiol), and have defense against life eating creatures? It’s pretty awesome!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge fan of zombies and I don't understand the craze over them. However, the way the CDC is grabbing peoples attention to make them more aware of how to react in an emergency is pretty smart. It sort of makes me wonder if I'm missing out on something really important. Maybe zombies actually have something useful to teach me.
ReplyDeleteTBH I have never seen the walking dead, and frankly, I am not a fan of anything to do with zombies. However, this a very creative and relevant way the CDC is trying to convey the mindset of readiness for whatever "apocalypse" may happen. I also love it when science actually backs up sic-fi movies/TV shows. I would definitely buy the "Eau de Death" just to say that I have the fragrance LOL. Thanks for sharing this with us Dr. Day-Storms! I will for sure be telling all my friends about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is great! It was such a good idea for the CDC to use a topic that is so popular and attention-grabbing to secretly educate people about science. Many people are fascinated by post-apocalypse theories and ideas right now. I'm sure there are other topics within that realm that could be used to educate the general public. It would be great if the CDC could find an attention-grabbing way to educate the public on vaccinations, since there is a growing anti-vaccine trend right now.
ReplyDeleteWell, I see that others have come out and stated their opinions about zombies so it must be safe to say my opinions too lol. Sorry, I'm not a big fan of Zombies either. However, I think they are a great illustration for discussing how we live our lives without Christ. (There, thats my Organic Chemistry Faith Integration... WITH zombies.) But though I am not a fan of zombies myself, I am a fan of science education. Hoping to one day be an educator myself, I think this is a great way to get people excited about science.
ReplyDelete"Need me to teach Chemistry? Sure!!! Well make organic compounds to survive the impending zombie apocalypse!" I mean, yeah the principal might question my sanity, but wouldn't the students love it?!!!
I love science and teaching others about it. I'm always thinking of and looking for ways to get people interested in science and if I can get them to see just how cool science is by using zombies, well by golly I'll do it!
BIOLOGY INTERGRATION- This is normally Michael Hughes field of expertise, but it also reminds me of the hognose snake. When threatened it will play dead (a literal living dead). It rolls over on its back, sticks out its tongue and even produces an oder that makes it smell, well.. dead. (There, 2 different types of interrogations on a topic discussing pop culture integration)
In closing, if there ever was an impending zombie apocalypse, I don't think I would waste my time running down to the lab to make my own solution of "Ode de Stank." Instead I would just find myself some good old-fashioned road kill and lather that baby up. I mean, it must produce these organic compounds too right? At least it smells that way every time I pass it.
- "I smell dead people. They're everywhere..."
Great Organic Chem Faith Integration AND Biology Integration...Kudos!
DeleteThis a positive aspect of a trend. CDC has definitely emphasized in preparedness and response. I believe this is very important because people actually take things for granted.The fact that CDC took popular media to serve its purpose is very inventive. There are so many diseases that could be prevented if they had enough attention. I can imagine most of my friends talking about this even if they don't like science at all. We are able to find putrescine and cadaverine in other bodily fluids. Putrescine can also be a growth factor. Nagoshi and Fujiwara from theUniversity of Japan wanted to prove if putriscine can stimulate regeneration of the remnant liver after partial hepatectomy in rats and they found out that putrescine may stimulate proliferation of hepatocytes that have entered the G1-phase of the cell cycle as a comitogen of epidermal growth factor. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8076929) There is so much more that can be said of these organic compounds.
ReplyDeleteHow...interesting. I have never, nor will I ever be, a fan of anything zombie related. But who knows, a zombies could attack my home and I should be prepared. Life happens... I found the chemistry aspects of it both beneficial and humorous. How befitting that both of these polyamines are names putrescine and cadaverine. . The aspects that peaked my interest the most is that it isn't necessary to make an excessive amount. Also, that E. coli can be used to derive the three chemicals needed for this. Bacteria usually get a bad rep because of the pathogenic problems they can cause. I would like to see what further developments the CDC can make concerning the "future" zombie epidemic.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of The Walking Dead (TWD). I love when science combines the entertainment aspect of movies and pop culture with the small amount of scientific and factual truth behind some of today's mainstream culture. I remember the episode when some of the main characters covered themselves in zombie flesh and walked around the zombies. I think its fascinating that the CDC is exploiting pop culture's draw as a tool to educate the masses for potential catastrophes as "Zombie Preparedness." The chemistry behind putrescine and cadaverine is so much more interesting to most people if they can relate it with entertainment like TWD.
ReplyDeleteTo all my non-nerd friends, science IS cool.
I love how they connected science with zombies. It was very interesting to find out that we produce both putrescine and cadaverine when we are decomposing. I also thought that it was interesting that the way to obtain large quantities of these two polyamines is to extract them from E Coli. It is especially interesting see as we, use E. Coli so much in laboratories.
ReplyDeleteI must say again, the CDC and ACS are genius for their marketing technique. It is incredible and absolutely humorous how they have caught the attention they have and are actually educating a variety of viewers about real science. I do wonder though, how many viewers are actually interested in all of this real science and how many are just reading out of genuine desperateness because of how strong their belief is in the "zombie apocalypse" and are merely interested in "saving their life" from zombies. None the less, a variety of audiences are being reached and are actually listening to the message being sent and therefore are being educated on real science! GO TEAM NERDS! (or for those of you more "hipster," team GEEKS).
ReplyDeleteI appreciate both methods the CDC and ACS took on educating their audiences. However, I must admit even though the CDC actually has proposed somewhat useful resources (for real life), I have to confess that I enjoy the organic chemistry behind the not-so-useful (for real life, at least not they way they advertised it) information given out by the ACS. I also must point out that the information put out by both the CDC and ACS are the first catching and popular "releases" I have seen put out without a cost on them (however, I do not watch T.V. often). So I wonder...how much would the ACS charge for their "death gripping" fragrance? Or instead of selling it, this could make for a very smelly experiment to do in lab...
Here is another "tounge-in-cheek" method derived from a current, common, popular news trend science has used
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-tongue-in-cheek-kardashian-index-awareness-cult-celebrity.html
I thought it was interesting how specific the chemicals have to be to deter a zombie attack. The video mentioned not only putrescine and cadaverine, but also methanethiol as an extra additive. It is great to see the CDC get involved in this by paralleling safety procedures for a real life scenario. I think the CDC article should also remind us that the CDC is constantly trying to improve their protocols for disease outbreaks. While any outbreak is a scary situation, the CDC exists, in part, to prevent and control these situations.
ReplyDeleteI find it fascinating that the CDC would use something as bizarre as a zombie apocalypse. But as bizarre as it may seem the idea of a zombie apocalypse has captured the publics interest for years. From the extremely popular TV series The Walking Dead, to a vast amount of video game titles. The CDC used this to their advantage and in my opinion that is extremely smart. To a lot of people chemistry is intimidating and complicated. They think to themselves that it is useless to know what chemicals do what. So talking about the uses of chemicals in a zombie apocalypse is just a great marketing approach and I applaud the CDC. Overall this article captured my attention because I want to make sure I have the upper-hand when the zombies come knocking at my door.
ReplyDeleteIt's surprising to see the many ways chemistry can be projected as interesting and fun for those who aren't interested on the subject or younger generations who have not been exposed to it yet. The CDC and ACS used smart marketing techniques to reach an audience who otherwise would not payed attention to such precautions by using ' relatable ' analogies. It seems that slowly media is incorporating more scientific concepts and theories into the mainstream entertainment. Recently, movies such as Star Trek and Interstellar have incorporated metaphysics, theories of space and time. Also, series such as CSI and medical shows (i.e Grey's anatomy) are implementing chemistry, forensics and medicine into the 'not-so-accurate' life scenarios. This is decreasing the gap between science and the general public.
ReplyDeleteHere is another article in which CDC uses well thought analogies to grab the attention of the general public to get informed about nutrition:
http://blogs.cdc.gov/yourhealthyourenvironment/2011/11/18/vampire-nutrition-you-are-what-you-eat/
This is quite the intriguing blog post, one reason is that I too am a walking dead fan; although i am a bit behind.. And also because I recently gotten into fragrances and colognes. This, assuming a zombie apocalypse actually happened, is a pretty ingenious idea. Opposed to spending time killing and running away from zombies simply spay and continue your day. To think that a spray to the neck and each wrist would be enough to prevent one from being eviscerated is pretty humbling, the "little" things matter. It would be interesting to see how this would change culture. Potentially to the point of being complemented on a particularly pungent smell and being praised for smelling rancid, I can’t help but chuckle to myself about this though. And this expansion of thinking for viewer/readers is why I am not opposed to methods such as these to spread scientific knowledge. Doing things like this makes science more appealing but also more fun and also makes it easier to see the practical applications.
ReplyDeleteI find the idea of mixing science and science fiction to be a pretty good idea when trying to connect real world ideas with things people are already into such as the Walking Dead. I think that it really allows someone who has no idea what is being talked about to gain just enough of a foothold as to get an insight into the real science behind the matter. Aside from that I found the idea of essentially making a zombie repellent to be a pretty interesting idea in the sense that it could be done with things that we know of and can work with. With that being said I found the names of the two compounds, Cadaverine and Putrescine, to be both humorous and surprising. Honestly I did not believe they were real compounds until I checked for them on PubMed and saw that they were very real. One thing I did note when looking up the compounds on PubMed was that Putrescine is apparently toxic to some extent. So, I don't know what that could possibly mean for any future applications in terms of "Death Cologne" unless it is a cologne that would indeed cause death. All in all I found this blog post to be quite interesting and it encouraged me to look up something new and interesting.
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ReplyDeleteThe idea of a zombie apocalypse and science being able to come together and explain some theories such as the smell of a rotting corpse is fascinating. I personally love the series Walking Dead and my family, cousins to be specific, actually have ways and theories of how they themselves would prepare if this were to happen. They have acquired a stash of weapons along with reading material that explains how to prepare and survive should this happen. The fact that the CDC actually has information on a zombie apocalypse is awesome. This enables them to grab people's attention in a unique way and inform them about what to do if a natural disaster were to occur. One thing I do find a little off kilter is if there were to be an outbreak, I feel as though the CDC would not have enough time to conduct their studies and figure out cures and what the disease is without the epidemic blowing out of proportion. I only say this due to having watched Walking Dead and multiple movies and basing my opinion off of those. It is amazing however, that scientist have identified the components that make up the smell of a rotting body or corpse. It would come in great use if an epidemic ever happened, that way we all wouldn't have to rub rotting guts all over us. A nice little spritz of death perfume is a nice trade off. Not to mention the names just add to the humor of it all. I loved this blog post because the zombie apocalypse is a huge topic in today's adolescence's conversations. It always good to be prepared for anything and everything.
ReplyDeleteI love the Walking Dead, even with all of the gore. I thought that it was really funny that the names of the chemicals were putrescine and cadaverine. If we use E. coli to make these chemicals then it would be really easy to produce a large amount of them, but what if those are not the chemicals that help zombies identify each other. Maybe it is more than just these chemicals. The spray could potentially be worthless, and not work at all. I say that we should all be like Carol, kill a zombie, and wear that dead flesh. Wouldn't you be willing to wear any smelly thing to live through the apocalypse?
ReplyDeleteEven though i don't watch The walking deeds frequently as many people do, I am a fan o zombie movies a series that involve pos apocalyptic topics.It is incredible how chemistry has evolved all the way until have a dead like smelling perfume. If there was a zombie like apocalyptic end to the world it would totally be necessary for us to survive. This can also tell us the level of precision that chemistry can go for survivor in any type of situation. Also it is interesting that the smell of a dead corps is similar to rotten eggs that is going to make me think twice before eating an egg, and off course putrescine and cadaverine.
ReplyDeleteI am not a "walking dead fan" or any movie that has to do with zombies. I find it interesting how science is preparing us for an apocalypse. Right now I cant imagine myself smelling like rotten eggs, but i guess if that time ever comes I will have no other option. These two compounds cadaverine and putrescine fascinated me, and I looked for more information about them. I discovered that the can be harmful to humans when ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin so i wonder how this death cologne will work.[http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search] I hope they looked into it because they might end up killing people rather than saving them. However I found this blog post really interesting
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of "walking dead" or any movie that has to do with zombies. But it is interesting to see how science is providing a way to help us survive an apocalypse. I cant imagine myself smelling like rotten eggs but i guess i will have no other option if it ever happens. These two compounds cadaverine and putrescine really fascinated me and I decided to look them up on the web. I found out that are very toxic to humans when inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin so I wonder how this death cologne will work [http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search] . I hope they look into that otherwise, they will end up killing people rather than saving them. I found this blog post really interesting.
ReplyDeleteWell to be honest, I'm not a fan of the Walking Dead or anything related to zombies. I never really saw the "attraction" in watching a show or movie with semi-dead people wanting to attack and eat living people. With that being said, I found this video and information equal parts hilarious and really cool!
ReplyDeleteI love how the CDC and ACS have brought the worlds of chemistry and sci-fi together. If there were ever to be a zombie apocalypse, it's interesting to know that they have already figured out what components would make someone smell like a rotting corpse. To make things even more comical, the components just so happen to be named Cadaverine and Putrescine. How appropriate for this new fragrance! What I found to be the coolest aspect was the fact that all the components could be manufactured from E. coli. Sometimes we think/assume that bacteria is mostly bad especially when we hear the words "E. coli", but its encouraging to see another positive aspect of this bacteria.
This blog post has not only made me laugh, but also has made me realized that science can save our lives even in the most weird situations. Even though I'm not a fan and I've never seen an episode of The Walking Dead, I find this topic really fascinating. I think that the idea of mixing science and other topics that call people's attention is really smart. Just reading this blog post makes you investigate more about these two compounds, cadaverine and putrescine. People don't realize how important science can be for our lives. A cologne saving us from a zombie apocalypse? I would never thought something like this would ever exist. As I mentioned before, I am not a fan of this TV show, as my brother is not a fan of science. However, he is a huge fan of The Walking Dead, he has not missed any episode. I'm pretty sure if he had the opportunity to avoid being killed by a zombie buying the 'Eau De Death' cologne, he would buy it without giving it a second thought.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen the Walking Dead, but I have heard it is a good show. Many people have become obsessed with a zombie apocalypse, so this is probably why this research took place. It was interesting that they are using a cologne to smell like a corpse in order to hide from zombies. I personally do not believe that there will be a zombie apocalypse, but at least people are prepared.
ReplyDeleteI have seen the walking dead once and honestly I'm not a fan, but I'm not really a fan of any zombie things, I don't see the attraction and really, it kind of freaks me out, haha. But aside from this, it was very clever of the CDC and the ACS to use this because most people are a fan of the show and others like it. I've even heard of a zombie 5k where if you don't run fast enough, the zombies will...tag you I guess? Anyways, it's a popular idea these days. The idea of being sprayed with the scent of rotting flesh from the video was a little humerus (aside from the grossness) to me.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have personally never seen the walking dead, I am well aware of the current fixation popular culture has with zombies. I mean, they've made a zombie Romeo and Juliet movie... Anyways, it is interesting to think about how different scents and smells are assigned to different objects and how they can even stimulate emotional responses. For example, the smell of rotting flesh generally makes one think of dead, decomposing organic matter, like a zombie. Whether or not a zombie apocalypse will ever happen would also be an interesting point of study, although not very scientific and more science fiction. Interestingly, the Bible has a reference that sounds a lot like zombies. Zechariah 14:12 says, "And this shall be ethe plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths." So, while not exactly people being reanimated from the dead, and possibly a reference to sickness instead of being undead, this verse does sound a lot like what a typical zombie apocalypse would look like. All in all, in case of a zombie apocalypse, just remember, cardio and double tap.
ReplyDelete-Micah Thornton
It's pretty fascinating that scientists are addressing a zombie apocalypse. For some reason people have been so fascinated with zombie shows lately. I don't understand everyone's interest in "The Walking Dead" and shows like it. I wonder what the spiritual and phycological explanations as to why people are so interested in zombies would be. I feel like this zombie phase only began a few years ago, hopefully it will die out soon and people will move on to another fascination, preferably a less scary one.
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand this whole "zombie" thing. I know that at some point every semester, some students play "humans vs. zombies" and sneak around classes and Chartwells trying to kill each other. I'm sure it must be important to stay alive and not get turned into a zombie, but I'm not sure smelling like rotten eggs and death all day is really worth it. Nonetheless, just in case a zombie apocalypse does occur it wouldn't hurt to be prepared.
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