Ah, you may want to boost that suspension of disbelief that is necessary to enjoy SF&F. We are talking about a comic with talking dogs, notary ninjas, and a teleporter made out of clothes hangers. Comic book physics, after all.
Skin Horse zombies don’t decay normally to begin with: I’m assuming he doesn’t spend most of his time submerged in formaldehyde, but without such measures Emperor Norton “should” be just bones by now.
Remember that many things living creatures require to function are no longer necessary for zombies. If the radiation mutilates their DNA, it hardly matters because I don’t think they undergo normal cellular metabolism and reproduction anyway, for example.
Well, no, not really. Unless the radiation is accompanied by lots of energy discharge, radiation itself wouldn’t have a destructive effect on inorganic materials. Otherwise, Three Mile Island and Chernobyl would be surrounded by puddles of goo.
If you have dead organic material that would otherwise be consumed by micro- or macro-organisms, having the radiation kill the organisms has the effect of keeping the organic material intact longer. Contrary to what some microwave-ovens-are-evil folks would have you believe, it does not make the organic material itself significantly radioactive.
If you put, say, a piece of toast in a sufficiently powerful beam of neutrons, a small percentage of the atoms in it could potentially be turned into Carbon 14, but even then you’d have a piece of toast whose radioactive particles had a half-life measured in thousands of years. That’s considerably less dangerous than the likelihood that the toaster itself will kill you.
There have been several instances of radiation being used to halt decay through bacteria or mold in an ancient mummy. It’s seen as a non-invasive method of preservation.
Gerald Sears: Maybe, maybe not. The bird only told Chris that it was a “battle for glory and a WI-90 gamma irradiator,” not that any of the visitors would get to keep either.
We could even be looking at another St. Charlie-type situation, where they’re invited in to do something Tigerlily can’t do herself. Perhaps someone else already has possession of the irradiator.
Kills microorganisms of decay. A carefully organized campaign against food irradiation has, largely, kept radiation-sterilized food off the shelves- manufacturers don’t want anything to have a 25-year shelf life! Shelf life is an enemy, to them.
Yeah, I pretty much can. Irradiating food neither makes the food radioactive* nor requires the use of any radioactive material. You can use something very much like a giant microwave.
* Unless you irradiate it with neutrons and WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT
Good point, cuz it’s not like tainted food and water have ever hurt anyone. Nor is famine a thing anywhere. So clearly radiation, in any form, is the only scary thing. DAMN YOU MR SUN!!
The EPA page on food radiation repeats several times that the food is not radioactive. Irradiating the food kills bacteria (which is extremely useful), but does not remove any toxins the bacteria have already put in.
The process does require the use of radioactive material, but the food never comes in contact with it and is only nearby for enough time to reach the regulated dose.
Most of our food preservation technologies were developed by or for the military. The “99 percent invisible” podcast did an episode called “War and Pizza” (I’m including this info just in case my attempt to include a link doesn’t work) that details how much of the “instant” and “long shelf life” food products on our shelves exist to support an infrastructure for providing large amounts of preserved military rations should serious war break out. It’s an interesting story, and a neat example of pre-Bomb thinking (should a serious war break out in the age of The Bomb, it’d be over in an hour or so, but that doesn’t prevent the military from preparing to fight WWII all over again).
One can be VAGUELY optimistic and think that saner heads on both sides would prevail, killing millions the traditional way rather than billions the quick-and-slow way.
I wondered about that, too. Maybe he had a bad experience when he tried it? But it doesn’t seem the D of I has very many good experiences, so not sure about that either.
Consider where they worked. His irradiation experience is probably a series of weird and occasionally horrifying mutants, so he’s probably imagining ATOMIC SUPER-ZOMBIES WITH ARMORED SKULLS or some such.
Okay, just let this sink in – U.N.I.T.Y. plus irradiation. That image alone is enough to leave scars, never mind the reality. Gavotte and Sweetheart probably had to threaten to take her sammiches away permanently if she tried sneaking into the DoI lab without permission or pretection. I can see why Chris might be just a little apprehensive.
Zombie Dan is a scientist and would be more interested in a gal like Agatha Heterodyne. The real zombie Ben would of course be an all around ladies man.
wait a minute, how does radiation “preserve” exactly?
I bet it kills the living bacteria that cause rot!
Radiation ruins inanimate tissue as well, though.
Ah, you may want to boost that suspension of disbelief that is necessary to enjoy SF&F. We are talking about a comic with talking dogs, notary ninjas, and a teleporter made out of clothes hangers. Comic book physics, after all.
Skin Horse zombies don’t decay normally to begin with: I’m assuming he doesn’t spend most of his time submerged in formaldehyde, but without such measures Emperor Norton “should” be just bones by now.
Probably he holds it together by willpower.
It’s nanites. It’s always nanites…
Define ‘ruins’.
Remember that many things living creatures require to function are no longer necessary for zombies. If the radiation mutilates their DNA, it hardly matters because I don’t think they undergo normal cellular metabolism and reproduction anyway, for example.
and inorganic stuff. and pretty much everything
Well, no, not really. Unless the radiation is accompanied by lots of energy discharge, radiation itself wouldn’t have a destructive effect on inorganic materials. Otherwise, Three Mile Island and Chernobyl would be surrounded by puddles of goo.
If you have dead organic material that would otherwise be consumed by micro- or macro-organisms, having the radiation kill the organisms has the effect of keeping the organic material intact longer. Contrary to what some microwave-ovens-are-evil folks would have you believe, it does not make the organic material itself significantly radioactive.
If you put, say, a piece of toast in a sufficiently powerful beam of neutrons, a small percentage of the atoms in it could potentially be turned into Carbon 14, but even then you’d have a piece of toast whose radioactive particles had a half-life measured in thousands of years. That’s considerably less dangerous than the likelihood that the toaster itself will kill you.
There have been several instances of radiation being used to halt decay through bacteria or mold in an ancient mummy. It’s seen as a non-invasive method of preservation.
Who cares how it preserves. They’re going to need qualified irradiation specialists whoever wins.
Gerald Sears: Maybe, maybe not. The bird only told Chris that it was a “battle for glory and a WI-90 gamma irradiator,” not that any of the visitors would get to keep either.
We could even be looking at another St. Charlie-type situation, where they’re invited in to do something Tigerlily can’t do herself. Perhaps someone else already has possession of the irradiator.
Kills microorganisms of decay. A carefully organized campaign against food irradiation has, largely, kept radiation-sterilized food off the shelves- manufacturers don’t want anything to have a 25-year shelf life! Shelf life is an enemy, to them.
Mainly in the U.S. You can get shelf-stable irradiated foods in a number of other countries.
Yeah, well, after Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima Daiichi, can you blame us for being a little nervous about radiation, nyao?
Yeah, I pretty much can. Irradiating food neither makes the food radioactive* nor requires the use of any radioactive material. You can use something very much like a giant microwave.
* Unless you irradiate it with neutrons and WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT
Good point, cuz it’s not like tainted food and water have ever hurt anyone. Nor is famine a thing anywhere. So clearly radiation, in any form, is the only scary thing. DAMN YOU MR SUN!!
The yellow face, it burrrnssss uss, preciouss!
The EPA page on food radiation repeats several times that the food is not radioactive. Irradiating the food kills bacteria (which is extremely useful), but does not remove any toxins the bacteria have already put in.
The process does require the use of radioactive material, but the food never comes in contact with it and is only nearby for enough time to reach the regulated dose.
And you say you do without electricity in your home because people die by lightning strikes?
Most of our food preservation technologies were developed by or for the military. The “99 percent invisible” podcast did an episode called “War and Pizza” (I’m including this info just in case my attempt to include a link doesn’t work) that details how much of the “instant” and “long shelf life” food products on our shelves exist to support an infrastructure for providing large amounts of preserved military rations should serious war break out. It’s an interesting story, and a neat example of pre-Bomb thinking (should a serious war break out in the age of The Bomb, it’d be over in an hour or so, but that doesn’t prevent the military from preparing to fight WWII all over again).
Here’s a link, if it works: http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/war-and-pizza/
Colonel Kordsmeier was right.
One can be VAGUELY optimistic and think that saner heads on both sides would prevail, killing millions the traditional way rather than billions the quick-and-slow way.
But peace? Crazy talk.
I find it odd that C.B. here is AGAINST irradiating anything, even if it is zombies.
I wondered about that, too. Maybe he had a bad experience when he tried it? But it doesn’t seem the D of I has very many good experiences, so not sure about that either.
Maybe when the DoI tried irradiating zombies, it just ended up with their wigs developing sentience and moving to the basement…
Consider where they worked. His irradiation experience is probably a series of weird and occasionally horrifying mutants, so he’s probably imagining ATOMIC SUPER-ZOMBIES WITH ARMORED SKULLS or some such.
…come to think of it, weren’t the Giant Zombie Heads in the basement the D of I’s fault?
I assumed that he feels that zombie-irradiation should be left to the professionals.
Okay, just let this sink in – U.N.I.T.Y. plus irradiation. That image alone is enough to leave scars, never mind the reality. Gavotte and Sweetheart probably had to threaten to take her sammiches away permanently if she tried sneaking into the DoI lab without permission or pretection. I can see why Chris might be just a little apprehensive.
I suspect there’s an untold story about the DoI irradiating Unity and the comedy that ensued…..
Zombie Ben Franklin isn’t enough to stop her from being lonely on her quest, I guess…
She needs people to call her Amelia Earheart or something
So her final line and wondered about a “girl friend upgrade” plot device.
The Skin Horse way of course……
From her, FROM HER!
Need coffee, Coffeeeeeeee!
Zombie Dan is a scientist and would be more interested in a gal like Agatha Heterodyne. The real zombie Ben would of course be an all around ladies man.
Cap’n B sounds like he’s losing his groove.
Inferior toke.