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Zombie Pigs First, Hibernating Soldiers Next

Posted by samzenpus on from the fattening-up-on-brains dept.

ColdWetDog writes "Wired is running a story on DARPA's effort to stave off battlefield casualties by turning injured soldiers into zombies by injecting them with a cocktail of one chemical or another (details to be announced). From the article, 'Dr. Fossum predicts that each soldier will carry a syringe into combat zones or remote areas, and medic teams will be equipped with several. A single injection will minimize metabolic needs, de-animating injured troops by shutting down brain and heart function. Once treatment can be carried out, they'll be "re-animated" and — hopefully — as good as new.' If it doesn't pan out we can at least get zombie bacon and spam."

14 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. Don't do it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't they watch movies? Haven't we learned anything?

    1. Re:Don't do it by Kral_Blbec · · Score: 4, Informative

      If they had to use the needle in the first place then they are in a situation where they are already going to die. Its not important how many die as a result of using it, its about how many survive thanks to it.

      its like the stimpaks back in StarCraft. Sure you might die after using it, but if you do its not because you used it, its because you got shot. However if you do use it then your chance of surviving, even though you were shot, increase.

  2. Brain damage? by thesandtiger · · Score: 4, Informative

    One of the biggies in this war is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - surviving explosions, surviving shots to the helmet - I wonder if we'll be swapping out a lot of dead soldiers for ones suffering extreme brain injury.

    A friend of mine just came back from Germany. He lost both of his legs and has TBI caused mood swings like you wouldn't believe, and pretty much looks like it will wreck his family. Staving off death is one thing (and good); making life after injury worth living is another.

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    Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
    1. Re:Brain damage? by Reason58 · · Score: 5, Funny

      One of the biggies in this war is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - surviving explosions, surviving shots to the helmet - I wonder if we'll be swapping out a lot of dead soldiers for ones suffering extreme brain injury.

      A friend of mine just came back from Germany. He lost both of his legs and has TBI caused mood swings like you wouldn't believe, and pretty much looks like it will wreck his family. Staving off death is one thing (and good); making life after injury worth living is another.

      You are absolutely right. Many of the soldiers who take this shot will have suffered TBI and will require brains. Braaaaiiiiiins.

    2. Re:Brain damage? by TubeSteak · · Score: 4, Interesting

      One of the biggies in this war is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - surviving explosions, surviving shots to the helmet - I wonder if we'll be swapping out a lot of dead soldiers for ones suffering extreme brain injury.

      Cooling the brain has been known for years to work miracles on minimizing head trauma and taming neurological conditions.
      There's no reason for soldiers who've received head injuries to not wear a cooling helmet for a few days after the trauma.

      Someone even took the idea and integrated chemical icepacks into motorcycle helmets so that the brain immediately starts getting cooled upon impact.

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      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
    3. Re:Brain damage? by icegreentea · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Well, its not as clear cut as that. Current research (a google search away!) tells us that while its probable that inducing hypothermia in the the brain reduces neurological damage, we currently get somewhat contradicting studies suggesting otherwise. In the best case, it may turn out that cooling the brain is an extremely delicate task that must be carefully controlled. Given the level of precision apparently needed, it seems unlikely that simply plopping on a cooled helmet is the best way to go about reducing brain trauma.

      In any case, reducing circulation increases the chance of infection (important if there was actual head trauma in addition to brain trauma), and appears to raise the risk of blood clots and heart attacks.

      Doesn't mean its useless though. Just that like so many other medical ideas, its complicated. And just cause some company makes a product based on it, doesn't mean it works just like they say it does.

    4. Re:Brain damage? by aukset · · Score: 4, Interesting

      In the field of EMS, we're (in NYS at least) by protocol asked to hyper-oxygenate patients with suspected brain injury in trauma patients that meet a certain set of criteria. The reason for this is to cause vasoconstriction within the brain, reducing blood flow due to vascular resistance and, in theory, slow internal bleeding. As far as I know, the literature on this is uncertain as to its efficacy, but the theory behind it is sound.

      Brain tissue can survive for quite a while in a state of hypoxia, compared to other tissues. What is most dangerous in a hemorrhage in the brain is compression of the tissue, as well as direct exposure to blood, both of which can cause necrosis. In fact, when the brain "detects" an injury, its usual response is to increase blood pressure, which is going to accelerate any hemorrhage and make the problem worse. Decreasing heart rate and blood pressure would be an advantage until surgical services are available to drain the blood and close off the source of bleeding.

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      No sig now
  3. Damage Mechanism by Renraku · · Score: 5, Insightful

    One of the main mechanisms for brain damage after injury to the brain is due to the neurons releasing their packets of neurotransmitters upon their death. So you have a good neuron right next to a big blob of toxic neurotransmitters. Then that neuron dies, too. It's a chemical cascade of dying neurons. Slowing down metabolism slows down this damage, as oxidation plays a large part. Ever see those people that drown in icy water, only to be revived after hours without oxygen, somewhat intact? Same thing.

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    1. Re:Damage Mechanism by Zerimar · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ever see those people that drown in icy water, only to be revived after hours without oxygen, somewhat intact?

      No sir, I have never watched a person drown in icy water and then revived hours later. Is this a common thing to see?

  4. Opposite of a Zombie by Labcoat+Samurai · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The terminology seems odd here. Isn't suspended animation pretty much the opposite of being a zombie? I mean zombies are the animated dead. Suspended animation makes you the unanimated living.

    1. Re:Opposite of a Zombie by carp3_noct3m · · Score: 4, Funny

      Stop bursting my bubble of zombie Apocalypse hope!

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      "It's ok, I'm completely secure as long as my iron is off"
  5. Re:I disagree by B1oodAnge1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    You fool!!! The last thing we need during the Zombie Apocalypse is armed bears!

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    RUGBYRUGBYRUGBY
  6. The Future Of Medicine by Citizen+of+Earth · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Really, this is how I see medicine in the future. If you suffer serious trauma, the paramedics will simply kill you at the scene and take your corpse to a hospital where the doctors will patch you up and resurrect you several hours later. If your hand gets mangled, they will simply hack it off, slather on some stem cells, and you'll over a few months, you'll just grow a new one.

  7. Long Duration Space Flight by Usually+Unlucky+ · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Couldn't this be tweaked and used as a method of hibernation to stave off boredom and conserve supplies for long duration space flight?

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