The Biology of Zombies

Ecogeeks : Untamed Science Video Podcast

With Halloween right around the corner, we're all picking our costumes. Did you know that many of the creepy characters, like vampires, werewolves, witches and zombies likely all come from stories with a biological basis to them? Turns out, the Zombies we know from Hollywood horror films have a very real biological basis. It's all about the potions used by the witch doctors. In short, it all stems from the country of Haiti, where Zombies are ingrained in their cultural beliefs. Their mystery was finally unlocked by Wade Davis, an ethnobotanist in the early 1980's when he got his hands on a handful of "zombie potions". Learn more about the Biology of Zombies here.