Zombie Autopsy

Chad Huskins is the EVVY Award-winning writer of The Sol Ascendancy.  His new novel, Zero Star, debuted at #2 on Amazon Kindle.

Zombies
For whatever reason, there has been a resurrection (pardon the pun) of interest in zombies over the last decade.  Though filmmaker George A. Romero is usually credited with creating our contemporary understanding of zombies with the 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead, tales of zombies have been around since about 1918, and of course stories of general resurrection predate even that, but those are religious tales, the more supernatural kind.

We won't be talking about these zombies.  We'll be talking about Romero-style zombies, and/or The Walking Dead-type zombies because, well, I have a lot of questions when it comes to exactly how someone could be technically dead, yet still walk, exhibit enough strength to sometimes rip and tear flesh like a grizzly bear, yet continue to show obvious signs of decay.  How could they (conceivably) work?

I'm a writer, and as a writer I have an interest in research.  The tricky part for a writer is doing all the research and then burying it, so that it doesn't interfere with your narrative, so that you have a story and not a how-to manual.  But, in the interest of exploring this concept, doing our research (even if it's just exploratory and maybe for posterity's sake), and because it's almost Halloween, here we go.

I present to you...drumroll please...

Zombie Autopsy!


The Resurrection Process
All right, so, we'll start from the start.  How can a person return from the dead, move about like they're alive, see with their eyes and hear with their ears, yet still have necrosis (decay) taking place in almost all important skin, muscle, and other tissue cells?

As it happens, this has been explored in actual, real-world research before, because, believe it or not, there were supposed zombies in real life in Haiti, at least as far back as 1980, when a man walked into a village and claimed to be Clairvius Narcisse, a man that had died in a hospital in Deschapelles, May 2, 1962. He had memories of Narcisse's life that even close relatives had forgotten.  Other Haitian zombies have materialized through the years.

Dr. Wade Davis, an anthropologist and ethnobotanist, conducted extensive research and came to the conclusion that the "Haitian zombie" phenomenon was caused by a rare drug, called tetrododoxin, which comes from the puffer fish. Combined with toxins from a native tree toad and other chemicals, it could be made into a powder that could put people so close to death that it was difficult to determine whether or not they were alive.  They could also be brought back, and while most suffered long-lasting effects, some fully recovered!  But a few returned and, while cognizant, had lost some fine motor skills.  This powder could kill someone, yet keep them in a rare state where resurrection was still possible, and place the living in a condition where they lost many motor skills and had only faint life signs (like a zombie).

But zombism is obviously brought on by a pathogen, not a powder.  So, from here one, we shall refer to this pathogon as "Z-1" for simplicity's sake.


Virology
Bites from zombies, such as those in The Walking Dead, show that zombism is communicable and therefore lend more credence that this is a pathogen.  It causes tremors and terrible fever.  Z-1 probably behaves much like malaria, first hiding within the liver, where it multiplies and grows stronger.  Then, once it has marshaled enough forces, it invades the bloodstream, where it infects red blood cells.  Now come the symptoms: fever, shivering, anemia, vomiting, and convulsions.

After that, Z-1 obviously shuts down the higher brain functions but leaves the most basic sensory perceptions.  But Z-1 shows how diverse it is by not only affecting brain and motor functions, but also damaging other major tissues separate from the brain.

To attack humans so specifically, and not other animals like dogs and cats, Z-1 is probably either a single- or double-stranded DNA virus.  This means it actually has DNA as its genetic material and replicates using DNA-dependent DNA polymerase: an enzyme that acts as a catalyst.  Z-1 therefore probably shares a morphology not unlike Herpesvirales (the herpes virus).  And, like herpes, you can catch it from a bite.

While a bite accelerates the infection we are all carrying the Z-1 virus, just as 1/3 of us are carrying tuberculosis around without any ill effects (for the most part).  This is why those dead from natural causes or accidents also succumb to Z-1, which indicates that Z-1 is lying in wait for the immune system to "switch off" so it can have its day in the sun.


Necrotic Skin and Bone
Flesh sloughing off, turning blue and gray, and generally remaining damaged long after wounds ought to have scabbed over; all of these indicate that Z-1 has a unique effect on human skin.

Oxygen blockages to skin cells causes necrosis; that's the premature death of cells in living tissue.  Necrosis can happen to the living in various ways, including snake and spider bites, which indicates that Z-1 lives very, very well in human saliva, and, like the bite from a brown recluse spider, it begins a slow process of killing tissues.  But that doesn't mean it has to kill muscle tissues--only skin and flesh tend to decay, at least initially.  When zombies are injured by stupidly running into things or getting shot, the wound never heals because skin cells are dead, and the immune system, rocked by the other effects of Z-1, cannot address the problems of infections by other organisms, which only increases decay.

Given enough time, Z-1 causes necrosis of bone cells, which brings on symptoms similar to osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease), of a Type IV kind or above.  In this phase of zombism, bones are easily fractured.  This is why "older" zombies (those who've had Z-1 the longest and have gone through all the major cellular breakdown stages) are mushier, easier to hack into pieces, almost exactly like a corpse.


The Brain
Like many viruses, Z-1 must mutate in order to survive.  Otherwise, it would be easy to catch and kill.  Therefore, after Z-1 has grown strong in the liver and successfully invaded the bloodstream, it quickly mutates into a whole new strand, known as Z-2, and migrates into the brain to live out the rest of its days.

The fact that zombies can still see means that Z-2 does not have much of an effect on the occipital lobe; the visual cortex.  Gray matter in the brain is obviously influenced in a very special way (gray matter controls sensory perception, muscle control, emotions, speech, hearing and memory).  A condition known as "gray matter heterotopia" can cause seizures, loss of higher brain functions, and mental retardation.  Z-2 imitates these symptoms by "slushing" the brain, causing severe swelling and thus moving portions of gray matter around, exactly as heterotopia does.

Z-2 shuts down most of the brain's other regions.  The frontal lobe, which controls the ability to recognize future consequences of current actions, is almost completely shut down.  In most sufferers, Z-2 shuts down the parietal lobe, too, which means they cannot manipulate objects at all.  However, some zombies do show the ability to figure out simple objects, such as doorknobs, which indicates Z-2 doesn't always attack the parietal lobe so aggressively.

As far as motor functions go, Z-2 initially behaves much like Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).  GBS is an acute neuropathy, which is a disorder that affects the peripheral nervous system.  In short, you lose control of your limbs.  Even after a body recovers from GBS, coordination is extremely difficult, survivors can't run as fast as they did before (at least, not without rehabilitation).  This would explain why zombies usually can't run as fast as they did when they were alive, yet can still stand and move about.  They've "survived" the first initial shock of Z-2 on their brain, but the communication between brain and muscles has been damaged forever, causing a lack of coordination.



Zombie Strength
Zombies often show that they can pry a person's belly open just with their bare hands.  How is this possible?

Well, under extreme circumstances, normal human beings have been known to exhibit incredible strength not thought possible.  This phenomenon is called "hysterical strength."  (Is there anything more hysterical than a zombie?)  Hysterical strength most commonly occurs when someone is single-minded, not caring about the consequences.  It happens in torn muscles and damaged joints: of course, sufferers of Z-2 have lots of damages to their bodies.

The brain (which we covered above) controls everything in the human body, including limiting the number of muscle fibers the body can use at once: this prevents you from overexerting and hurting yourself.  The brain also motivates the processes that create lactic acids, which also factor in.  Since Z-2 shuts down so much of the brain, it not only leaves the zombie without lactic acid production, it also allows a zombie to use its maximum strength (practically every muscle fiber in its entire body) to rip and tear and rend.  Jaw muscles are affected, just like everything else, so this gives the zombie the ability to bite so hard it can tear off huge chunks of human flesh in one bite.

This is why, while zombies appear flimsy, clumsy, and sometimes mushy, they can demonstrate incredible power when they've got their hands on a victim.


Insatiable Hunger
Back to the brain for this one.  Z-2 obviously affects the hypothalamus region of the brain in a very unique way.  There are two parts of the hypothalamus that control eating and hunger.  The lateral hypothalamus gives the signal when it's time to start eating, and the ventromedial nucleus gives the signal when it's time to stop eating.  Human beings only feel satiated when the ventromedial nucleus is functioning properly.  Z-2 sufferers often have this part of their brain operating at such a low level that it's practically dead.

Real-world evidence shows that people who have had their ventromedial nucleus injured are unable to determine when they should stop eating.

Incidentally, this region also helps control fear and sexual activity: the fact that this region of the brain is nearly dead shows just how much humanity Z-2 robs of its victims.


Inhuman Growling
"New" zombies typically only moan or hiss.  But over time, necrotic damage to the esophagus and vocal cords cause many zombies to begin pushing wind through nothing more than a leaking pipe.  Their throat and lungs begin to fill with liquid, and they are now gurgling more than growling.  This creates an unpleasant gurgle/growl in "older" zombies.

However, if their lungs are filled with liquid, we get some interesting questions.  How do zombies continue to move when the brain depends on oxygen and blood delivered to it from other parts of the body?  How can Z-2 survive in the brain at all, since the brain must surely and eventually die due to asphyxiation and ischemia?  That is, without the lungs functioning, or the heart, how does the brain receive air and blood?

The answer: It doesn't.

Z-2 sufferers still take in ample amounts of flesh (human flesh is their favorite), and this provides incredible energy for the brain to continue to function, replacing the need for oxygen and steady bloodflow altogether.  Z-2 is therefore not just a virus, but a powerful new agent that transforms the body's normal processes and ultimately serves as a very specialized life-support system for the brain, and the brain alone.

Because of this, Z-2 is able to sustain itself a very, very long time, as long as it remains in its comfortable "cradle" inside the base of the brain.  As long as nerves and connective tissues remain intact, Z-1 can keep the brain going enough to send the basest commands to its limbs.

It is not yet known how long it would take for Z-1 to die on its own.


Origin and Final Analysis
It's possible that Z-1 was manmade, as many have hypothesized. One clue is that, as stated above, it targets the human hypothalamus, making it yearn for sustenance, but does not affect the brains of other animals. And while zombies will feast on other animals if they have to, they obviously prefer a fresh human meal, yet do not often feed on each other.  They care not for their fellow dead, they show no sign of loss when one of their own gets shot or decapitated, and they lust only for flesh from the living.

Perhaps Z-1 only makes its victims "dance," makes of them puppets.  If not...

If not, then it indicates that when everything else is stripped away, when all pretenses of society and community are removed, and when human beings are laid bare and left with only their basest desires, they have only one craving, one thing that they want more than anything else: the destruction of one another.  Not to hug or make love, not to make picnics or hold hands.  But to devour that which they hate most.  Themselves.

A pathogen that causes humans to target humans.  Certainly sounds manmade.  Or else, the wrath of Nature.

For a more detailed autopsy, please see below:


Autopsy of Z-1 Sufferer
-------------------------------

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Fulton County 2nd District
Atlanta, GA

AUTOPSY REPORT
Male Subject - Daniel William Egleston

Case No.  886670T

Approximate Age:  31 years

Height:  70 inches

Weight:  189.8 lbs.

Sex: Male

We hereby certify that on this day, October 20, 2012, pursuant to Statute 49.25 of City Code, an autopsy on the body of Daniel William Egleston was performed at the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office in Atlanta, and upon investigation of the essential facts concerning the circumstances of the death and history of the case, we are of the opinion that the cause of death was as follows:

FINDINGS:

I. Sudden death associated with:

   1. Exsanguination – Bleeding to death from gunshot wound to the sternum and intestines

   2. Hypoxia by pneumothorax – Deprived of adequate oxygen

   3. Heart failure (HF)

   4. Traumatic brain damage (TBI) – degeneration of brain cells

II. Perforating injury

Ill. Hepatomegaly (weight = 1695 gms) with mild fatty metamorphosis

IV.  Prostatic hyperplasia, mild

VI.  No evidence of dehydration or electrolyte imbalance:

     1.  Postmortem vitreous chemistry non-contributory

     2.  Blood furosemide (Lasix) negative

VII. Postmortem toxicology:

     1.  Cardiac blood fluoxetine = 2.72 ug/mL

     2.  Femoral vein blood fluoxetine = 0.778 ug/mL

     3.  Gastric fluoxetine = 4.2 ug/mL

     4.  Liver fluoxetine = 61.4 ug/mL

VIII. Postmortem blood 20 heavy metal screen negative

IX.  Postmortem blood mercury negative (below detection level)

COMMENT:

Daniel William Egleston was 31 years of age at the time of his death.  He was a sales clerk, shot in Centennial Olympic Park, where he was apparently discovered unresponsive, along with his wife.  The exact downtime is unknown but could be as much as 20 minutes or more before he was discovered unresponsive.  The ambulance arrived at 11:08 p.m. and he was transported to Columbia Metropolitan Hospital, where immediate life support protocols were instituted.  However, he was pronounced [sic] dead at 12:01 p.m.

CAUSE OF DEATH: DEATH DUE TO BALLISTIC TRAUMA (FOUL PLAY)

MANNER OF DEATH: UNNATURAL

Signature Chenzira A. Tefni, M.D.

Signature Susan Ludner, M.D.

A CERTIFIED COPY ATTEST SUSAN LUDNER, M.D. CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER COBB COUNTY, [signature] Wanda Peterson

GROSS ANATOMICAL DESCRIPTION

---*

I. CLOTHING AND PERSONAL EFFECTS: The body is presented to the morgue secured in a body bag and clad in:

1. White button-up shirt

2. Black pants (cut)

3. Pair of white socks

EXTERNAL BODY DESCRIPTION:

Except for the gunshot wounds, the body WAS that of a normally developed, well-nourished and well-hydrated, adult Caucasian male appearing somewhat older than the given age of 31 years, with a body length of 70 inches and body weight of 189.9 pounds. The body was well-preserved, unembalmed and cool post refrigeration.  Rigor was not fully developed.  Lividity was developed, posterior, dependent, purple and slightly blanchable.

The scalp was covered by short, straight brown and occasional gray hair with slight frontal, sagittal and occipital pattern baldness.  The face was shaven.  Body hair was male distribution and average.

Subject began showing signs of Z-1 and Z-2 infection at 12:53 p.m., approximately 52 minutes after death was declared.  The body began to show a fever, despite having been dead and cold to the touch for almost an hour.  Temperature was taken, showing 109.4 F (43 C), until finally it began to "cool" to around 101.2 F.

Subject's body began twitching at 1:04 p.m., not terribly uncommon in the recently deceased.  However, the eyelids opened at 1:27 p.m. and moved about, showing definite signs of awareness.  Subject moved his lips, pushed air out from his mouth four times, and reached for Dr. Brewer, feeling of his labcoat, as though he was familiar with the texture.  At 1:35 p.m., after generally reaching about at other objects around the table he was laid on, subject suddenly went into convulsions and closed his eyes again.  Subject inert at 1:37 p.m. 

2:02 p.m.: Z-1 infection has completely morphed into Z-2.  Subject's body temperature suddenly plummeted.  Within the span of a few minutes, the temperature dropped from 98.6 F (37 C) to around 71.6 F (22 C).  Though liver, heart and lungs have all ceased functioning, the eyes have once again opened, and the arms are reaching out, this time not just to Dr. Brewer, but to others in the room, as well. 

2:09 p.m.: subject has gone inert again.  I enacted Z-ready protocols and advised medical team to maintain a three-foot distance from subject, as Z-2 sufferers are known to be erratic.

At 2:17 p.m., subject suddenly became very animated, and reached out to grab hold of Dr. Sanderson (despite my instructions, Dr. Sanderson chose to examine the subject's eyes).  Sanderson was bit; a large section of flesh was removed from her right wrist and forearm.  Subject on the table appeared angry and violent.  Dr. Sanderson was removed from the room. 

At 2:32 p.m., I contacted the other chief medical examiner, Dr. Peter Fong, and asked him how we ought to proceed.  Dr. Fong advised close adherence to Statute 50.21 of City Code, and asked me to contact subject's family. 

3:15 p.m.: The Egleston family arrived.  Two younger brothers (Darryl and Ernest) and the older sister (Pamela) to the subject.  At this point, as per my instructions, the body had been restrained by four male nurses, and strapped to the table.  Upon seeing their brother lying there, writhing, angry, and snapping at them whenever they tried to go near, the Egleston family signed the papers and determined that the subject's time of death was indeed 12:01 p.m. 

At 3:38 p.m., under the watch of the subject's surviving family and Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Peter Fong, myself and Dr. Brewer performed the final immobilization:  we used the captive bolt pistol, in accordance with state law for Z-2 sufferers, and placed the nozzle on the right temple of the subject's head.  The firing pin penetrated the skull and destroyed the brain.  We performed this procedure twice more, from the left temple and from the base of the skull, to make absolutely sure that the subject was not able to move again. 

At 3:52 p.m.,  in accordance with the No-Reanimation Law recently enacted by the POTUS, and the rules and guidelines set down in the U.N. Z-2 Emergency Summit, subject's body was moved to the incinerator without any further public viewing. 

Blood and toxicology tests performed on minor necrotic cells and blood samples gathered before Z-2 onset.

TOXICOLOGY TEST RESULTS 

OFFICE OF CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER                SUSAN LUDNER, M.D., DABFP

TOXICOLOGY LABORATORY SERVICE                  CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER

ATLANTA CENTRAL                                            TERRY BREWER, PH.D., DABFT

FULTON COUNTY, ATLANTA CITY                        CHIEF TOXICOLOGIST

NAME: DANIEL WILLIAM EGLESTON                    PRIORITY: 1

M.E. CASE NUMBER: 886670T                           M.E. TOX NUMBER: 7780333T-XX

BLOOD  ETHANOL                     NEG

URINE  ETHANOL                      NEG

URINE  COCAINE                       NEG

URINE  CANNABINOIDS             NEG

GASTRIC CYANIDE                    NEG

BLOOD  CYANIDE                      NEG

URINE  CYANIDE                       NEG

URINE  OPIATES                       NEG

BLOOD  ABN (HEART)                POS    FLUOXETINE           2.630 UG/ML

BLOOD  ABN (FEMORAL)            POS    FLUOXETINE           0.779 UG/ML

URINE  ABN                              POS    FLUOXETINE           0.771 UG/ML

GASTRIC ABN                           POS    FLUOXETINE           4.100 UG/ML

LIVER  FLUOXETINE                  POS    FLUOXETINE           61.310 UG/ML

BLOOD  ABN (FEMORAL)           POS    NORFLUOXETINE        0.607 UG/ML

BLOOD  ABN (HEART)               POS    NORFLUOXETINE        1.850 UG/ML

URINE  ABN                             POS    NORFLUOXETINE        2.260 UG/ML

GASTRIC ABN                          POS    NORFLUOXETINE        1.077 UG/ML

LIVER  NORFLUOXETINE            POS    NORFLUOXETINE      48.810 UG/ML

For INJURIES, INTERNAL EXAMINATION, SPECIMENS, and MICROSCOPIC DESCRIPTIONS, see page(s) 4-10.

[Dr. Samuel P. Brice]


Follow me on Twitter and Facebook:  Twitter account name ChadHuskinsAuthor
Visit my website: www.forestofideas.com

The Future: The Law of Accelerating Returns

Chad Huskins is the EVVY Award-winning author of sci-fi books such as The Sol Ascendancy.  Check out the first reviews for Zero Star

THE FUTURE
The future has always held an allure for us.  Raymond Kurzweil, a top modern researcher, has said that the entire function of the brain is to predict the future.  If, ten thousand years ago, you were walking alongside a river with spear in hand and saw a lion on the other side, walking in the same direction as you, you would have to imagine what would happen if you continued on your present course (you would intersect and be eaten, therefore, it's best to go in another direction).

So you see, predicting the future is essential to our survival.

We gravitate towards those who say they can take us to a better tomorrow, and campaign slogans such as "Forward Into Tomorrow" or simply "Forward" are obviously meant for us to look ahead.  The advent of science fiction, and its modern proliferation, clearly shows just how much we want to speculate.

In this article, we will be discussing the future, what it holds, and exactly how we can know what it holds.  We will start with the Law of Accelerating Returns, and how it allows us to know (not guess) what's next for us.

The Law of Accelerating Returns
The Law of Accelerating Returns is a term coined by futurist Raymond Kurzweil, a man so knowledgable and accurate with his predictions on technologies of the future that Bill Gates makes sure to read everything the man writes, and listens to every lecture he gives.  The Law of Accelerating Returns goes something like this: the rate at which technology is advancing is growing exponentially, never slows down, is not impacted at all by wars or economic recessions or depressions, and it is so predictable that it allows us to know precisely where we'll be technologically in the future, almost to the year.

Part of it is just doing the math.  It took the human race 400 years for the printing press to reach a mass audience.  It took us 50 years to get the telephone to a mass audience.  It took 7 years for the cell phone to reach a quarter of the population.  Social networks (blogs, wikis, Facebook-style sharing) took only three years.  Kurzweil shows clearly with his research that the rate at which technology grows in power is never--that's right, never--going to slow down, it's never going to plateau (it never has), not as long as human beings exist.  In fact, barring a world-ending asteroid smashing into the Earth, the rate at which technology grows in power and capability is only going to accelerate.

This is one of the reasons that the human genome was mapped so much faster than anyone (even those involved with the research) predicted it could be.  It took researchers seven years to get just 1% of the genome mapped, and they pretty much said, "See?  We told you so.  This is going to take about a hundred years or so to complete."

Meanwhile, Kurzweil was saying, "Nope.  If you're at one percent, then you're almost there."  This confused many, but his notion of Accelerating Returns quickly moved past theory and into the territory of Law when his point was made for him.  You see, if it took seven years to reach 1% of the genome, then the next seven years would yield about 2-3%.  Then, the next seven years would yield another 4-9%, so on and so forth.  (This is what he terms a "doubling".)

And viola, we now have the genome mapped!

This has to do with the compounding of technologies.  Advancements made in, say, information technology, allows for greater communication between biologists, pathologists, virologists, botanists, zoologists, and all the other "ists" of the world.  A single discovery in any of these fields almost immediately bleeds over into other fields of study in surprisingly beneficial ways.

Also, the discovery in one field of study can have multiple applications in various other fields of study: just as an example, advancements in metallurgy allowed for the Watt steam engine to revolutionize travel across waters, which revolutionized trade and travel by speeding it up, which brought goods and services more quickly to places that needed it, which stimulated the economy, which allowed for more funding of other projects, just one of which might be even further developments in metallurgy...

On and on and on it goes, never stopping, never slowing down.  A modern example of this would be how we use present-generation computers to create the next-gen computers, which are always more powerful, with superior computational power.  And, of course, we use those to build the next powerful thing.  (This, by the way, creates an interesting philosophical thought: If computers can essentially conceive of a more powerful computer, albeit with our help, then can we conceive a computer or organic lifeform that's better than us?  The answer appears to be an unqualified yes.  We'll get to that below.)

Back in the 80s, Kurzweil developed a chart that showed how quickly technology was spreading to a mass audience.  He was a little surprised to find that no matter what was going on in the world, no matter how good or bad things were, the level of technology on Earth and the rate at which it was spread across the planet doubled at the same predictable rate as the previous doubling.

Nothing affects it, nothing slows it down, nothing stands in its way.  The future is coming, and nobody can stop it.  This is evidenced by the fact that almost always, whenever a new innovation comes along, multiple people have it.  Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz both invented calculus at nearly the exact same time, though they had never met.  We've all heard about the rush to make social network sites on the Internet, Mark Zuckerberg just stuck his flag in it first.  It was the next logical course of action considering the knowledge and technology of the time.  Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan both invented the light bulb separately.  Lists such as these go on and on.

(Here's a short video showing quantum levitation)

How This Works, and What This Means
The Law of Accelerating returns means we can now predict, quite accurately, where we'll be from year to year, from decade to decade, from century to century.  Kurzweil's predictions have been so spot on in the past that today's leading inventors, businessmen, and researchers all follow his every article, his every prediction.

Kurzweil predicted, to the year, when a "world wide web" would reach the people.  He accurately predicted the mapping of the human genome.  He has said that when he first set out to gather this data, his expecation was that no one can predict the future, that it's far too random.  However, he found that if you measure the underlying properties of information technology, such as the power of computers per dollar, instructions-per-second per dollar, and other such factors, it produces a "remarkably smooth exponential trajectory" that one can follow.  Again, a trajectory that never slows down, never wavers in the good times or the bad.  Nothing has an impact on it.

The future...just...keeps...coming!

Information technology has become the main reason behind exponential growth.  After all, knowledge is power, and that power has to be communicated.  For instance, it's very common now for people to diagnose themselves from the Internet (and yes, while this can't always be trusted, it's still helpful), and many times doctors are finding that their patients now know much more about their own rare disease than the doctors themselves because of constant research on the Internet.

We know more, about ourselves and the universe around us, than we ever have before.  We're living longer, and so therefore we can contribute more to the world in one lifetime.  Advances in dental care, for instance, has greatly decreased infection that once came into the body through cavities and gum disease, which in turn has lengthened lifespans considerably.  These advancements came both in technology and understanding--this is important, because it's not just the tech that's advancing, but our understanding of our bodies, what we are, what we're made of, and what we're capable of (predicting the future) that has advanced us.

It has been said that the future of science is born first in science fiction.  This, at least, makes a strong argument for it.  Our need to predict creates fantasy, and we literally make our fantasies come to life now.

I, for one, am a self-published author, a thing not possible just five years ago.  It's an entirely new set of rules for my career path now.  And yours, too.  And it's only going to keeping changing, so you had better learn to keep up.

(An hour-long video where Dr. Michio Kaku discuesses the next 15 years or so)

Predictions
Kurzweil points out that there have already been nanomachines that go into the bloodstream and, in the near future, blood cell-sized devices will be created that can go into the bloodstream and perform therapeutic functions, and will be able to cure diabetes (one scientist actually cured Type 1 diabetes in mice and they're gearing up for human trials soon).  It lets insulin in, and blocks antibodies.  He also says that it could address limitations in your own white blood cells, and could attack cancer problems much sooner because your white blood cells don't attack cancer (they think it's you).  All of this, he says, is coming in the 2020s.

Kurzweil also demonstrates how we are less than 10 doublings away from producing 100% of the world's energy needs through solar energy alone.  There is 10,000 times more sunlight bathing the Earth every day than we would need to give the entire planet 100% of what it needs, and solar panel technologies are doubling every year (just like everything else).

Researchers now believe that by 2040, most cars on the road will be automated.  Just this year, GM's Cadillac division started on concept cars that are partially automated, and Audi and BMW are slated to do the same.  Google, meanwhile, is pushing for legislation in Nevada that would allow self-driving cars on the road, while at the same time manufacturing a group of autonomous Toyota Prius hybrids.

As for AI...well, we already saw the computer "Watson" defeat various intelligent champions on Jeopardy!, which Kurzweil points out is significant because Jeopardy! is a game show filled with word games, puns, and various plays on words.  This is one of the steps necessary to pass the Turing test (a test of a computer's ability to exhibit human-like intelligence), and it's a key one that Watson and other computers have already surpassed.

Right now, "Watson" is comprised of dozens of computer towers, so many that it fills a large storage area.  However, if you know your history, then you know that the first calculators used to fill a warehouse, and now calculators are just one of a thousand apps on your cell phone.


Questions Raised
All of this, of course, raises boatloads of ethical and philosophical questions, not the least of which is what will our role be in society once technology takes on so many roles once filled by humans.  Will there be job loss?  Some futurists say that there will actually be plenty of jobs, only we can't imagine or describe them now, just as you couldn't describe the job of a computer engineer to a factory worker in the 1950s.

Regardless, I'm reminded of a song by Gorillaz.  "The future...is comin' on, is comin' on, is comin' on, is comin' on..."

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter: Twitter account ChadHuskinsAuthor

Interview with Hugh Howey, by Chad Huskins

Chad Huskins is the EVVY Award-winning author of the new epic military sci-fi novel Zero Star, available now on Amazon.

If you've spent enough time in the world of self-publishing, it's impossible to miss the story of Hugh Howey.  His Wool series hasn't just skyrocketed him to the top of the game, it's also kind of changed the game.

He is undoubtedly the "Cinderella story" of the self-publishing world.  Here's a fellow that went the non-traditional route.  Rather than listen to the endless sea of rejection letters that await 99% of us, Hugh Howey opted for self-publishing on the Amazon Kindle program, and then watched as the first in his series took off.  Seeing its popularity, he quickly scrambled to write more in the series, and eventually caught the attention of Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian, who optioned the Wool series for film.

Howey has been understandably busy these days, between his duties as family man and writer, but I recently had a chance to pin him down and ask him a few questions, author to author.

HUSKINS:  Hi, Hugh.  Thanks for joining us here at Realm of Ideas.  First, just let me say that I’ve only just started to read your Wool series, and it is fantastic.  I picked up on it in an article for CNN.  It seems like you’ve had a heck of a year.  Can you tell us a little about what it felt like when it first started changing, what was going on in your and your wife’s head when this success started coming around so suddenly?

HOWEY:  It started in October of 2011. Sales began picking up and reviews started trickling in. At every stage of this wild ride, my wife and I have looked at each other in disbelief. Just when you think things have gotten as nutty as they possibly can, something bigger and crazier happens. So, in one sense, it’s seemed sudden, but really it’s been a very long upward journey full of many neat surprises.

HUSKINS:  Wool is a post-apocalyptic series taking place in the subterranean Silos.  Are you attracted to the post-apocalyptic genre, the themes in The Road and The Walking Dead, or did you have a specific story you were trying to tell and felt that only a post-apocalyptic setting could suffice?

HUGH:  The latter. I had a story I wanted to tell, and it only made sense in a wasteland setting. This isn’t the type of story I read or normally write. It’s just the world that the first short story needed to take place in.

HUSKINS:  Describe your writing process.  Myself, I prefer silence.  Do you listen to music, or write in silence?  Do you have a schedule you try to maintain?

HOWEY:  I prefer silence, also. I write best in the morning, so I get up and start immediately and try to go straight to lunch. I usually break around 10:00 in the morning to check email and post on Facebook and Twitter. My goal is to get a good 4-6 hours of writing or revising in each day. It’s just me and a laptop and my dog.

HUSKINS:  You’re pretty much the “Cinderella story” of the self-publishing world.  Can you describe how this happened?  That is, did you merely put the book up on Amazon Kindle and “wait and see,” and then just get lucky, or were you constantly promoting it on Twitter and Facebook, marketing it and so forth?

HOWEY:  I didn’t promote Wool until after it was already taking off on its own. The best thing you can do to give yourself a shot at success is to keep writing and publishing. The sort of sales you get from tireless marketing are the kind that require more marketing to maintain. In order to have a blockbuster, you need readers telling each other about the work, not you telling enough people that you get a sale or two. I know a lot of writers will disagree with me on this, but I wouldn’t spend a lot of time on marketing until you have five or six novels or a few dozen short stories under your belt. Just write. And don’t expect to make it big, that can be dangerous. Write because you love to, because you have to, not because you want to get rich.

HUSKINS:  When you were first starting with the ideas for Wool and other stories, did you find that your wife, friends and family were supportive of you?  Did anyone think you were crazy for trying your hand at writing and publishing?

HOWEY:  Nobody thought I was crazy. Everyone I encountered had mad respect for me. Writing is a very common aspiration. Very few people stick with it to completion, and so it mostly draws awe from others. It’s similar to the admiration I have for those who stick with a musical instrument or a foreign language until they become proficient. I’ve had nothing but support and encouragement from friends and family. In fact, I started writing primarily to hand my stories to people I knew!

HUSKINS:  I’ve read that you’ve drawn inspiration from some of the “awesome women” in your life.  Besides your wife, what other great women have inspired you?

HOWEY:  My sister and my mother. Both are brilliant women with enormous hearts and mountains of courage. I aspire to be more like them in many ways.

HUSKINS:  You were a yacht captain for a while, and traveled the globe.  Miss it?  Still do it?

HOWEY:  I don’t miss running other people’s yachts. It’s a lot of work and it takes you away from family. My dream now is to get back on a sailboat of my own and take it around the world. I think within a decade that I’ll be on my way.  (NOTE:  Since we had this discussion, Hugh has done just that.)

HUSKINS:  What else do you do with your time besides writing and family time?  Have any hobbies that keep you occupied?

HOWEY:  I love to take pictures, especially of people. My dog keeps me busy with long walks and fetching sticks (that would be me fetching the sticks, mostly). My wife and I really enjoy our time together reading or watching a film. We’re very boring people.

HUSKINS:  What are you reading now?

HOWEY:  The latest Jon Ronson book. This man is a genius. He’s hilarious, and I love the way he strings words together. I highly recommend all of his books.

HUSKINS:  Lots of writers and artists have that “watershed moment” when they decided they wanted to write and create.  For me, it was reading Sphere by Michael Crichton when I was like 15.  It kind of planted the seed, which grew into a burning desire.  Was there a book that did that for you?

HOWEY:  Ender’s Game. I was 12, and it was when I knew I wanted to be a writer. The fact that Card was a fellow North Carolinian made that dream seem attainable.

HUSKINS:  Wool has been optioned for film by Ridley Scott, the man behind the original Alien, Gladiator, Blade Runner and numerous other epics.  Tell us how that came about, and what was it like?  Did you get a phone call from an agent, e-mail?

HOWEY:  My agent sent Wool around Hollywood. One of the people who got a copy and loved it was Steve Zaillian, one of the top screenplay writers in the business. He loved it enough to send it along to Ridley, who also fell in love with the story. This duo bought the option in conjunction with 20^th Century Fox. They are set to produce, though I doubt either of them will write or helm the work. They have a lot in the pipeline.

I did receive an email from Ridley. He was busy with the release of Prometheus at the time, but was extremely complimentary of the book. It’s amazing that someone of his stature sat down and read something I wrote from cover to cover. That’s humbling.

HUSKINS:  Did you or your family ever have a big celebratory moment for all of these achievements?

HOWEY:  We’ve had a lot of little celebratory moments. Mostly meals out. My way of celebrating is to go get pizza and maybe splurge for a beer. Or go eat somewhere with a view of the water.

HUSKINS:  Thanks for chatting, Hugh.  But before you go, we have to ask you for any piece of advice you can give to writers out there, or artists of any kind for that matter.

HOWEY:  If you love creating, then do it. Art should be an outlet for everything except our desire to get rich. You’ll go mad with that as your motivation. If you view it as a hobby, but one you take seriously enough to generate the highest quality output possible, then the sky is the limit. But that’s just me. There are a million other ways to handle being an artist, and I’m sure most of those alternatives are superior to my way.

(To find out more about Hugh Howey, visit his website www.hughhowey.com.  To find his fabulous Wool series, go here: http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Edition-ebook/dp/B0071XO8RA/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1354623922&sr=1-2&keywords=wool.

Find me on Facebook, and on Twitter @ChadRyanHuskins

New Comic with Micah Champion

Some of our new work.  Micah and I are working on a pitch for Marvel, as well as a pitch for an indie comic series.  Also, check out Zero Star, my sci-fi novel is doing very well, and thanks to all of you for supporting it.  Also, I managed to sell the film rights to Psycho Save Us, so...that's pretty cool!

"Lady of Drith" now on Amazon!

Hey guys, thanks to those of you who supported the Kickstarter.  Lady of Drith is now up on Amazon.  I hope you guys enjoy!

CREATING THE COMPLEX WORLD OF DRITH

Showing you guys the latest that we've been working on.  What you're seeing is artwork from UK artist Jack Baker, and American artists Micah Champion and Adriaan Suy.  Lady of Drith is a YA/crossover novel that we're calling "Roman-style steampunk," which seeks to transcend the expectations of the genre by looking at politics, the complex roles of women, and, of course, a little magic and gunslinging action.

Lord Hiss

"Lord Hiss" is the remnant of a grotesquery, now trapped forever in his mechanized suit, and forced to do battle in the gladiatorial events of the Den of Beasts.

A Drithean Senator

Like Rome, the politics in Lady of Drith play an important role in the storytelling.

Artist working on cityscapes for Drith

Here's a little snippet from Adrian, the artist working on the cityscapes for my steampunk story Drith:

Drith: A Steampunk Novel

Some new pics from comic artist Micah Champion and Marvel Comics artist Axel Torvenius,as well as Adrian Suy.  Working with both these guys on my novel, for which they'll be providing the illustrations.  For those who don't know, I'm an EVVY Award-winning sci-fi and fantasy author.  I've sold the film rights to my Psycho Save Us series, my sci-fi novel The Sol Ascendancy did well enough that I had the funding to kickstart this thing, and Drith is our next big project:

The style of this world is Roman-esque, mixing in steampunk/mechanical concepts, as well as some pistol-type weapons.  Also a dab or two of magic!  Please comment below, let me know what you think, and Retweet if you can! :-)

Lots of strange mechanical characters...

A scene by artist Adrian Suy...

Another scene by Adrian...