this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] curiousaur@reddthat.com 67 points 5 days ago

I was playing tag with my kid yesterday. He's 3, almost 4. He's very fast for his age, but not as fast as me. He asked to play tag because he just learned it in school. I could dodge to the side as he was getting close and change direction. I could fake him out. I could sprint to the other side of our 1 acre meadow to creat space. But he just kept coming. Smiling and laughing the whole time. I'm starting to get winded. Hands on my knees for a second after a sprint, but only for a second as he's closed the gap already. His undeterred motivation and pace was scary. He was going to get me eventually, and he seemed to know it.

I now know how the victims of Chucky must have felt.

[–] WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works 190 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Imagine being hunted and killed by a team of power walkers.

[–] Zwiebel@feddit.org 178 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works 154 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (8 children)

You know, this is actually the type of fear that the zombie horror genre really reverses back on us. Classic zombies are not fast. They're not smart. They can't run, climb, or plan elaborate traps. They have no sharp claws or terrifyingly large teeth. You can outrun them at a brisk walk.

But what makes them so dangerous is that they're relentless. If they get your scent, they'll follow you and keep following you. Blow their legs off and they'll crawl towards you. Remove all their limbs and they'll slither like a snake towards you. Only destroying their brain can stop them.

If you're on foot, it is virtually impossible to escape them, as they'll just keep on coming. And while you need to sleep, they don't. They can just keep right on shuffling towards you 24/7. If on foot being chased by a zombie, your best bet is probably to find a river you can swim across that will sweep them away. Oh, and of course, they are rarely alone.

Zombies are predators that turn our species's natural hunting strategy back upon us.

[–] yngmnwntr@lemmy.ml 40 points 5 days ago

Similarly the Terminator is ceaseless but does run, jump, climb etc. Our own hunting strategy, but perfected by machines. Even more tireless and persistent.

[–] wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Not really related, but it makes me sad that this isn't easily possible in Project Zomboid. It's the exact sort of feeling I want from it.

[–] otacon239@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I’m kind of surprised considering there’s a massive mod scene. Not even with a custom difficulty mode?

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[–] Leonixster@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Could you not adjust the settings so zombies see/hear you very easily and from far away, as well as making hordes a bigger amount for the feeling of being hunted by a pack? I haven't played the recent unstable versions so idk if they added other things that zombies can do to find you, like smell or whatnot

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[–] LongLive@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago (1 children)

How many drugs does it take to outrun a scent-seeking zombie?

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[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 6 points 5 days ago

I thought it was the swarm that was what is so dangerous rather than being relentless. A single zombie is usually shown as weak and pretty easy to kill.

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[–] AeonFelis@lemmy.world 53 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Persistence predation is the only way I can manage to take my cats to the vet.

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Did you try just picking them up and having a towel or blanket underneath in case they want to dig their claws into something, and hand in their shoulders in case they try to escape? That's what Ive done for years and it is so much less stressful on everyone involved.

[–] AeonFelis@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (13 children)

The problem is getting a hold of them in the first place. They just bolt from one hiding place to another, and I say "hiding place" but they're not as much "hidden" as "hard to reach when you are a human-sized human". The only reason I eventually manage to catch them is that ambush predators get tired quicker than persistence predators.

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[–] LilB0kChoy@midwest.social 135 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

Pursuit predation/persistence hunting has to be one of the most metal characteristics about humans.

[–] saimen@feddit.org 76 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

https://ourworldindata.org/quaternary-megafauna-extinction

The timing of megafauna extinctions was not consistent across the world; instead, the timing of their demise coincided closely with the arrival of humans on each continent.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] LilB0kChoy@midwest.social 30 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

You're missing a \.

There have been many extinction events in Earth’s history. There have been five big mass extinction events and several smaller ones.

There have now been many studies focused on the question of whether humans were a key driver of the QME. Many suggest that the answer is yes. Climatic changes might have driven an initial decline in large mammal populations — small population crashes — but human pressures are likely to have thwarted their recovery. Large mammals survived previous periods of climatic change, but the arrival of humans put pressure on already-depleted populations.

[–] MisterFrog@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago (2 children)

\ is the escape character in markdown. Gotta do a double \ and then another \ for the underscore

 ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯ =

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] LilB0kChoy@midwest.social 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

(°▽°)/

I'm assuming this menu is specific to the Voyager app rather than to Lemmy itself:

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[–] BlushedPotatoPlayers@sopuli.xyz 17 points 5 days ago (8 children)

What I never got about this theory is, fine, you run after the Ptadgedrwgydon for 87kms, when it gives up due to exhaustion and you kill it with a stone. What now? You're 87kms away with a carcass that weighs 500kg, how do you get back the food to the tribe?

[–] SomeKindaName@lemmy.world 22 points 5 days ago

The tribe can walk.

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 20 points 5 days ago

This is how we learned to be nomads. Kill big thing, bring camp to big thing, hang out until big thing is all eaten.

[–] nanoswarm9k@lemmus.org 7 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Group hunting for mega-fauna. Partial field-processing of remains, beyond a dressing.

idk, moose hunters might still. Is there a moose hunter at the forum today..?

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[–] paperazzi@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

This is how Komodo Dragons hunt, too.

[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago

That's probably part of the reason why the evidence of persistence hunting being used as an actual hunting technique, compared to ambush hunting or trapping is incredibly slim. And that's the reason why there's really no scientific consensus that persistence hunting was a major thing at all.

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[–] Geodad@lemmy.world 17 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That would be a terrifying way to die.

Wasn't that the premise of the Slenderman video game?

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[–] Lucky_777@lemmy.world 105 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Humans' ability to sweat is something outstanding.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 61 points 5 days ago (3 children)

That what I keep saying, but people still seem thoroughly unimpressed by my ability to sweat profusely the moment I get a little hot!

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 35 points 5 days ago

Interviewer: What would you say is your biggest strength?

Me:

[–] Donkter@lemmy.world 24 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Sweating is such a powerful ability for humans when compared to the animal kingdom. I mean, not only does my sweat keep me cool, I can clear out an entire room with it if it's a little too hot!

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[–] khannie@lemmy.world 30 points 5 days ago (5 children)

The other advantage we have while running is that we're not constantly slamming our intestines into our other vital organs and lungs because we're upright.

Humans can out-distance a horse. A fucking HORSE. Incredible animal the oul' human.

[–] FelixCress@lemmy.world 33 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Humans can out-distance a horse

Speak for yourself, I cannot out distance a hamster lately.

[–] khannie@lemmy.world 18 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Oh I am most definitely not speaking for myself. Neigh. Not one bit.

I think that's mostly down to our comparatively sedentary lifestyle though. Skinny AF, fit because I've had to run down a horse once a week and mid-20's me could hopefully out-distance a horse. A small cow anyway.

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Neigh. Not one bit.

Are you a horse?

[–] khannie@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago
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[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 43 points 5 days ago

We are the snail

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 25 points 5 days ago (7 children)

Fun fact: the guy who first proposed this "running man" hypothesis about persistence hunting in the late 1960s (Grover Krantz) was better known as a staunch advocate for the existence of Bigfoot. Personally, I can't believe that anybody could still believe in Bigfoot - it's so obviously just a Yeti in a gorilla suit.

For some weird reason, Krantz's skeleton and that of his favorite dog are on display at the Smithsonian.

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[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 23 points 5 days ago (7 children)

isnt this a diprotodon, which is the largest marsupial in australia, in the vombatiforms.

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[–] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 19 points 5 days ago (5 children)

That thing does look pretty tasty.

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Inside you there are two snails...

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