• Question: is there a possibility that a potential cure could mutate your cells and turn you into a kind of zombie like in I am Legend?

    Asked by wozjaztim to Andrew, Emma, Marianne on 17 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Andrew Maynard

      Andrew Maynard answered on 12 Jun 2010:

      Hi wozjaztim,

      In an alternate universe maybe, but not here I’m afraid – biology doesn’t work like that.

    • Photo: Emma Pilgrim

      Emma Pilgrim answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Crikey. I hope not as there should be medical screening for that sort of thing before any drugs are released for public use.

    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Definitely. This is almost certainly going to happen in August when i start my next set of experiments. Stock up on automatic weapons and baked beans. This is going to get nasty…!

      I think that currently the more realistic worry about stem cell therapies and gene transfer is for the former that these cells that have the potential to become anything turn out to cause cancers (cancers have some of the same properties as stem cells) and the latter that it doesn’t seem to work terribly well (despite the hype)….!

    • Photo: Marianne Baker

      Marianne Baker answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      I’d have to say no, wozjaztim… zombie stuff is odd, I don’t know where the obsession comes from! Perhaps diseases like rabies that cause animals to become very violent. Who knows.

      I can’t see the zombie apocalypse really happening. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prepared. Know the best stronghold to take in the event of an emergency, and preferably have a mate who’s good with a shotgun.

Comments

  • andrewleitch commented on :

    Think this quote applies to Andrewm here….

    ‘When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.’