What's your first move in a zombie apocalypse?

When I was playing the last of us, it got to the point where I got tired of fighting the humans with their guns and weapons. Finally the game made me fight the clickers and runners again and I was like “ah, finally I get to fight the monsters”. I thought it was funny since they are supposed to be the scary ones, but in reality the humans would be the true enemy

At a MENSA meeting I met a FEMA coordinator, and he spoke about a recent workshop he hosted where they discussed effective strategies for dealing with a Zombie Apocalypse, no joke. It wasn't exactly because they feared a Zombie Apocalypse, but because the strategies employed would translate to other disaster scenarios and because it would be more engaging to attendees.

If it’s walking dead zombies I’m thriving, if it’s world war Z zombies I’m taking myself out

Zombie movies are never about the zombies. They're about how people treat eachother in times of desparation when they have to cooperate to survive. Pretty much every one of them. The other people are always more dangerous than the zombies.

I've always said, if the apocolypse happens, Zombie or otherwise, most people would either starve or be killed by another human for something they had

Let’s face it: 99% of us would not be the hero, but a zombie in these scenarios😂

Even with all the supply chain problems during the pandemic shutdowns, I never once had a day off that wasn't planned home time and took less of that than I used to before it started. Yes, I'm a career trucker. I don't have a bunker, but if it happens, Neil and Chuck, you both would be welcome to ride it out with me in Tennessee, and if it gets real bad, we can go to Wyoming. You won't go hungry. That was fun.

The one thing that gets me about zombie movies is the fact dams don't overflow and collapse. Not to mention other things that would cause large scale environmental disasters.

Im glad someone smarter than me has come out and said it. I have been saying the same thing for years. If you’re going to “prep” for an apocalypse then it should be the zombie apocalypse, because it really covers most of the problems of other apocalypses.

The whole time I was definitely thinking about The Last of Us. (The video game specifically, I haven't seen the show.) But yes, that narrative really focuses on personal survival, small groups with their own society, extreme distrust towards strangers, and of course, spending less time killing zombies and WAY more time killing other non-infected humans. Love how realistic and problematic it is.

I love Key&Peele's sketches about my personal astrophysicist, too 😊 They should include Chuck on their next one

I loved how neil mentioned key and peele 😂😂😂

Don't worry folks. The CDC actually has published a graphic novel about what to do during a Zombie Apocalypse. Not kidding. Look up "Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic".

This discussion is exactly why i moved off grid. I have solar that runs my lights and fridge, a backup generator for bad weather, a well that runs on solar as well as a backup hand pump. And plenty of acres to plant. Plus its a very peaceful life.

I actually hated zombies as a kid bcuz of seeing Michael Jackson's Thriller as a toddler. Yes, Im old 🫣 and love horror movies, but specifically avoided anything with zombies! I absolutely LOVED The Walking Dead, and it completely changed my mind on the entire genre of post-apocalyptic books and movies. The breakdown of our current society, and the psychological aspects behind that? Both fascinating and properly horrifying. Being eaten alive is certainly terrifying, but at least it's over relatively quickly. Living in constant fear of what other humans could do to you 😢 YIKES!

Guy in Austrailia bough 120 boxes of 144 rolls of toilet paper at the start of covid. He tried to return them well the store owner told him where he could put them.

If the zombie apocalypse were to hit, I’d be heading down to the cemetery with a shovel to play the greatest game of Whack-A-Mole ever.

Living in a zombie apocalypse with Neil and Chuck might not be an apocalypse after all🤣🤣

Let's be honest diseases are the thing you need to worry about in a zombie apocalypse along with food/water/shelter.

I remember the CDC years ago had pages on the site with survival tips for different types of disasters. Hurricane, wild fire, earth quake and stuff. They had one for Zombies. The idea was it would be a very general survival bag and would be useful in any of the other disasters. Ya know general stuff. First aid kit, knife, multi tool, fire starters. They didnt recommend guns though. If your forced to use a gun, your goose is cooked anyway. But as funny as it sounds the goal was to get people to do something. Even just a backpack with some stuff in it. It would help when the poo hits the fan.

The only way this video could have been better is if Neil and Chuck actually did this talk in [Mulauge] Halloween style zombie makeup. Happy Halloween guys. Your show keeps getting better and better.

That was the single dumbest thing people did during covid, buying tons of toilet paper.

I loved World War Z for the fact that the zombies were so fast. It made them all the more terrifying. I also love the idea of zombies not being able to walk backwards. That would make for some funny story twists.

In Hawai'i we're very vulnerable. We're dependent on the supply chain for nearly everything. Even if isolation protects us from some kind of pandemic, we need supply chain for food, fuel, everything.

This concept is what scares me about any world ending event. I am not a preper or skilled in agricultural but I think that if I was to survive a world ending event I would be able to improvise, adopt, and overcome just about anything except the break down of society.

Nice to see a picture of my homeland, Portugal, as the first nation to be shown to go down if a Zombie Apocalypse comes. Warmed my heart Neal ❤😅

Great video! I am definitely not a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prepper but I have had this conversation with many people over the years; how long could you survive without doctors, clerks, engineers, hunters, farmers etc. Kind of a shame that the zombies didn’t show up when I was in my twenties because these days I am old and far more reliant on luxurious facets of life 😂

Accounting for a basic slow shambling zombie is enough of a stretch as it is, but yeah they wouldn't really pose much of a threat themselves if you make it past the first days where everyone was way too close to one another. I guess the best hope for avoiding problems with outsider groups of people would be to have a remote little settlement and have access to clean running water.

I just love this channel can literally talk about anything and it’s still relevant.

500 cool points for the key and peele reference 😂

Day by day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne is a book i remember reading in high school about what an ex marine would do in a zombie apocalypse, it depicted the real life scenario of supply chain issues, food power and water. Now ive seen it somewhat working for fedex freight in the last 10 years. Since the trade tarriffs, to covid things that hurt industries. Once our tractor trailers stop supplying things can get crazy, especially in the cities, it would become lawless. You have what i need.

Dr. Tyson, those were my exact words while watching an episode of The Walking Dead (second or third season): zombies are the least of your problems. You have suggested an excellent question we should all ponder.

George carlin had a bit on this very subject. Not zombies, but the mere fact of the collapse of the electricity infrastructure due to the collapse of society and the mechanisms that sustain it.

Lol after surviving the central Texas blizzard of 2021 where the power grid collapsed and the water treatment plants were offline, and I was stuck in my house under ice (with no heat/power/running water) for 3 days, I started investing in a few survival items.

Listening to a couple of friends talking about apocalypse planning. Friend 1, bragged about how he was fully stocked with all the food supplies, gensets, lighting, solar panels communication equipment etc. Friend 2 said he had just invested in multiple firearms and crates of ammunition..... and now knew where he could stock up on everything else when the apocalypse started. 🤣👍

What would you call a physical body which walks around, eats, has zero shame or empathy for their actions, but is incapable of making any decisions for itself and only ever causes destruction? A zombie is a very good guess. I say it is a physical body which does all the above, while also blindly worshiping a doomed false prophet. There are already zombies among us. They just aren't into brains all that much. (A fitting Return of the Living Dead reference)

Neil is the only one I'd listen to in a zombie apocalypse.

James Burke did an interesting series of shows in the 70s called "Connections" that kind of covered this. He didn't frame it with a zombie apocalypse, just a general question of "everything breaks down permanently." His narrative actually started with a real 1960s blackout across the entire northeast. Then he takes you on a brief ride through how would you survive? (You get to a farm, and learn how to do it without gas or electric, all while defending yourself, basically.) Then the series walks through certain key points in history that explain how everything became so interconnected. He called it the "technology trap."

It's adorable that NDH is just getting into zombie horror. Yes, we're aware of what you bring up - Logistical breakdown is part of the true horror of the situation.

While Neil to take the life smiling he will live forever! It's very nice to see someone with all that knowledge keeping a sense of humor above all!

Awesome when you guys get together, i learn a lot and i have a blast of time, thank you.

11:22 i rather enjoyed myself during lockdown except the toilet paper shortage. I love being alone or with only my closest friends/family. But i get you. In reality I would reserve the use of my gun for the human threat, not the zombies. Ive heard people talk about never preparing for emergencies, they would take what they need from others. Those are ABSOLUTELY the people you should worry about.

Take advantage of the Prisoner’s Dilemma theory that might save your life because in a apocalypse scenario it kicks in real hard. People are just 1 crisis away from becoming savages.

My favorite zombies were in Heavy Metal (both the airplane one and the Pterodactyl rider one), and the Black Cauldron, because none of them were virus trope Zombies. 😮

The only time buying toilet paper would make sense is if there was a cholera pandamic😂

This is the one thing that annoys me about Mad Max: V8 monstrosity with more aero drag than a parachute, or a small efficient car? Speaking of, sometimes (eh, any time I make the mistake of seeing the news really) I think about the apocalypse, and my ideal scenario would be a personnel carrier MRAP, adapted to motorhome. It would be electric with solar panels on top, even if it takes days to charge it would still be very valuable. Hydroponics would help with food.

Who would think that StarTalk was talking about Zombies... I didn't see that one coming! But good food for thought

The MINUTE Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson said "ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE" Chuck wanted to GET OFF that ride in LESS than a second lol! 😆

I have so much faith in humanity. I would sit on my roof cheering on the zombies 🧟‍♂️.

2:58 exactly! That's what many people complain about twd, and the realistic thing is that later the real danger is another group of survivors

Very good points! Clean water, shelter, food, protection. How to get clean water? How to stay warm and dry? How to get enough food? How to keep what you have from other people that want your stuff?

It strikes me as weird that most people think in the Zombie Apocalypse, that they won't be zombies. In the Zombie Apocalypse, the vast majority of people with skills are zombies and the survivors tend to be people who barely possess any survival skills at all.

I thought neil was gonna say something about food being so scarce that we start eating each other. I think that would've been a topic closer to a zombie apocalypse than what they discussed

my grandmother survived the great depression. my mom and i have spent our lives LOVING post-apocalypse movies. we garden and i'm a "survivalist" fan.

I'm sure you've heard about this, but just in case, check out the story on the "corrupted blood" event in the online game Everquest. There were some striking similarities to what happened during covid, predicted years earlier by the user reactions to a video game glitch.

You need to watch "The return of the night of the living dead" the undead were actually just like living people but the only thing that could release them from the unbearable pain was living brains. Good flick.

Resident Evil was far better than any of the movies/shows mentioned for overall scare factor zombies and plot. Society breakdown is what I've been trying to explain to a certain political faction that thinks they'll survive without the rest of us.

Funniest bit of that key and peele skit was the family of zombies. Daughter starts trying to grab them and the parents grab the kid and pull her away

5:42 Chuck : Toilet paper is not the number one priority, correction Chuck, it's the number two priority😂

if Neil does a reaction video of World War Z, I will definitely watch!

Fight the dead. Fear the living.

Well, I guess I would whip out my "Civilization Restart Kit" and get crackin' CRK Outline; 2 Rain Ponchos (Doubles as shelter, funnel for rainwater) 2 Mylar Blankets (Doubles as poncho) 2 Black Bags for leaf litter mattress (Doubles as poncho, rainwater holder, winter shoe protect) 1 Ferro Rod 1 Lighter 2 pack Matches 1 Fresnel lens (4 methods to start fire) 1 Camp Saw (wood, could build house with) 1 Multitool (Saw and Knife for wood) 1 Emergency Radio (Pre-tuned to NPR, recharge Iphone, etc w/ renewable energy, 3 AAAs) 1 LifeStraw (Drink any water)/ 1 small bottle of bleach (2 drops/gal water for disinfectant) 1 Collapsible Canteen (or rigid) 1 Compass/Whistle 1 White Light/ 1 Red tactical Light 1 Sheet Al foil (cooking, make bowl, many uses) 20 Ft Paracord (traps, shelter, tourniquets, rappelling) 1 Tanto neck knife (quick access weapon, secondary knife in multitool) 1 Tear Gas spray (double on bracelet) 4 Bandaids/ Roll of TP/ Roll of tape/ razor (wounds, 3rd blade) 4 Pair plastic gloves (can be packed with leaves for winter) 8 Tie downs 1 16 ounce jar of peanut butter (2 days food, trap bait) 1 Rat trap (catch squirrels) 1 fish hook/ needle/ fishing line (also surgery, sewing clothes) 1 Bag of Pinto Beans/Wheat/Corn/Broccoli Seeds (for farm cal/ AA/ vit/min) 1 Instruction sheet on how to survive SHTF w/ CRK. What kind of things could happen? (disease/nukes/EMP/volcano/climate/etc) How do I know when to bug out, and where? What else should I take if I can? What should I do in the 1st day? What should I do in the 1st month? What should I do in the 1st year? What should I do for the rest of my life to restart civilization? FOOD What Cal/AA/Vit and Minerals do I need, and have? What plants can I eat? (birch sap, dandelion, purslane, lamb's quarters, etc.) How do I trap small game and fish?(Windlass/Deadfall/Snare/Fish funnel) How do I prepare food so I don’t get a disease? How can I store food long term? Use furs for clothes? How do I build a sustainable farm for a community? WATER What water can I drink? How do I store water? How do I create a water treatment plant? SHELTER How do I build a survival shelter? How do I build a siberian log fire? Permanent campsite? How do I build a (adobe/ log/ peat) house? MEDICAL How do I deal with cuts small and large? How can I set a broken bone or apply a tourniquet? How do I deal with infection? How can I treat other diseases and problems? How do I make a field hospital? PROTECTION How can I make a flint knife, spear, PVC bow How can I use a flint knife, spear, PVC bow? (animals vs marauders) How can I travel safely? (Don’t follow roads, or just dirt roads, use compass) How do I make a camp warning system with shifts and traps? (nail trap, tripwire, codes, patrols and ambushes) How do I organize and lead an army? ENERGY and TRANSPORTATION How is chemical energy used to survive, and where do I find it/ make it now? (distill alcohol, birch, wood) How to find and purify metals, make simple machines from die/casts, how to make complex machines How is electricity made, stored and used (batteries, potential energy dams, transformers)? How do I condition/breed a horse? make wagons? How do I use a bike, E trike? How do I build/ use a ship/ starship? How do I build a road/ railway? CIVILIZATION I’m the leader, why a liberal democracy? Why have laws everyone must follow? Why 3 branches of gov’t and a Constitution? Why do we need a Bill of Rights, what are they? Why do we need FDR’s 2nd Bill of Rights? (Needs vs Wants) What are the pros and cons of capitalism? Why is there separation of church and state? (confirmation bias leads to anything) What can be improved upon with democracy that may have led to SHTF? Why do we need institutions like education and police? Where is the knowledge? What components of culture should be preserved to create cohesiveness? (Writers/Games/Art/Holidays/etc) What needs to be done to restart civilization in the local area around me? (mil bases, city ruins, marauder gangs, Use inclusion, reason, empathy, transparency and oversight to group up the many isolated survivors to recreate a rule utilitarian society modeled after the US) What needs to be done to restart civilization in the world? What needs to be done to start civilization in the galaxy? What needs to be done to start civilization in the multiverse?

There’s a very good hard science fiction book series called “Black tide rising” that has a rabies based ‘zombie apocalypse’ that is a very good read. The first book is called “Under a graveyard sky” by John Ringo. The answer to a zombie apocalypse, is to be on a boat, like the song.

I realized this and began re-"learning" what was never taught to me. I'm probably about 60% ok in the apoc. Id suffer, but i think id make it

Even though every machine needs constant maintenance, consumable and spare parts, they still work even after years of an apocalipse. Instead I think we would be back in the middle ages in a couple of years.

Great topic... love the conersation...

This one was soooo great and interesting. Luv you guys!!

I always wondered about the survivalists who get the most modern guns they can afford, assuming that whenever they run out of ammunition they can get more bullets on the "black market." So their plan is to go to shady traders in post-apocalyptic anarchy because those guys have bullets and they don't. How's that gonna work out? More respect for the ones who buy black powder firearms and learn how to make their own ammo.

I would be dead within a week if electricity stopped flowing.

Beautiful! Happy Halloween 💕🍬🎃🍏💕🍬🎃🍏💕

Makes a good point, we should all ideally know how to survive, but even so it will always be survival of the fitest

My first move would be to track down zombie Chuck Nice so I could die from laughter. Zombie Chuck still kills it on stage.

Can anyone explain to me why anyone would want to survive after an apocalyptic event? I'm very used to living in a civilized society where I can get food from a grocery store and watch KZfaq. If my days will be spent surviving and fighting, I don't want that.

Oh this conversation is my small talk. Love hearing everyone's ideas

Sometimes star talk sounds like weed talk with two homies that are high as the stars. And this was one of those times.

My father made me read Lucifers Hammer when i was 15. He handed it to me and said "its not the cataclysm that you have to worry about...its the survivors of the cataclysm that pose the most danger". I miss him..a lot. Thanks dad.

There's a space for Neill Degrassi in every safe house in the whole world.

I have thought a lot about the fragility of our technological society. I live in a suburb of los Angeles. For example long term loss of electricity would lead to mass starvation. I would not survive. Primitive people, in the Amazon, for example would be ok. I'm an old guy, I've though about this since I was young. Companies these days depend on the internet, not rooms full of typists and accountant assiatants. Engineering departments no longer use drafting boards. Internet loss, even if we have electricity, could cause economic collapse...... There are many other scenarios i could list.

Neil what’s up Buddy, we saw you at the Cosmic Perspective talk in Greensboro! Loved it, Rock on!

I wonder if Neil and Chuck ever appear at UK conferences. I hope so as I like this channel a lot. Neil is completely correct about pandemics and how TWD raised issues about breakdown of civilization. I saw TWD as a parable about people trying to (re)create civilization and going through that in stages as in prehistory. Also, I know we all had this experience but, when the first COVID lockdown happened, people did go a bit crazy. The supermarket was packed - you literally could not move and people were just grabbing multipacks of tinned sardines like there would be no more food available, ever. And we all know the toilet paper memes.

Specialization in society has allowed sustainability and abundance for a much larger population in our civilization. The drawbacks obviously is this issue because no one knows how to do anything anymore except their specialty.

A technical read on this subject is 'The World Without Us' by Alan Weisman. Surprised Neil did not mention or reference his thoughts about why vampires cannot thrive. Thanks for sharing.

Zombie movies are always disappointing because the spread is always instant, it just happens and the next night everyone is in a post-Zombie society building forts out of scrap metal and trying to come up with cool names for themselves or getting bit in places that are easy to hide. COVID opened my eyes, although my eyes were already on the conspiracy theorists and I knew any major event would become apart of their lore, but if there ever was zombies it would take years, people would deny it, people would blame it on the things they blame everything on, people would use it as an excuse but modern weapons would make it easy to deal with, people would act empathetically it wouldn’t be every man for himself. The people doing the greatest harm in such a situation would be the people looking to use it as an excuse

It's been a while since watching Star Talk ...missed it!!!!

I dont have a bunker, but if Chuck and Neil are still around when I have one ill gladly invite them.

Unless you're physically unable to defend yourself from zombies, they should be the easiest to take out. You want to watch out for other people.

You guys are great to watch!

The reason why it’s taken lightly is the nature of its transmission in the movies. Getting bitten by a slow walking Z doesn’t pose much threat as opposed to airborne transmission

If Tyson was serious at wanting to help people he would advise them to at least do basic level prepping -have the basic extra supplies if you can afford it -food, water, meds, heat, power backups and learn skills that would help in a survival SHTF scenario like self defense, gardening, fishing, bushcraft etc. Thinking about humans vs humans if society breaks down from a zombie show is not enough, it's just theoretical, which I'm not surprised he thinks this way as he is a physicist. Society is on a fragile thread, all it would take would be a powerful CME from the sun to knock out most electronics and consider this - that most things are reliant on electronics and less and less things are analog or physical.

Brilliant blend of comedy and serious thought, I enjoyed the show very much, thank you :)

On the topic of basic prepping, buy some MREs, keep your pantry stocked with canned and dried goods and 10 gallons of water in jugs and you are off to a pretty nice start. Add in a portable propane stove and you are pretty much golden for a while.

The biggest problem of a zombie apocalypse is are you a carrier and your friends will be carriers and what is the trigger. Slow moving zombies are not the biggest danger, but people. And finding the things you need to survive. Space and isolation is needed the most to grow food your self and learning to can for your self or dry and preserve food. Using sail boats would be needed as gasoline and diesel could not be found. Solar panels and wind turbines or wave power could be needed for electricity. Leaves for toilet paper. But maybe compost piles for fuel and heat. Also super insulated homes are needed. So finding or making your own personal oasis is the hard part unless your super rich.

Neil is a genius with a great sense of humor. It's so easy to make him laugh. It brightens my day

A houseboat type situation would be a good way to survive because zombies probably can't swim

World War Z was an AMAZING book. The movie had virtually nothing to do with the book whatsoever. It used the name and it had two minor story elements that were similar. The book is amazing. The audio book is even very good!

Making bullets at home is VERY easy. And, way less expensive than buying them AND you can get better quality ammo. It still requires resources to get the powder and the caps and the rest. This was a topic on the show Walking Dead, also. They made it into a bigger deal. People with the hardware for this are out there. The supplies would be mixed in with the other things in people’s homes (it would just be rare).

Zombieland, hands down the best one out there.

0:22 so on point. Glad someone understands!

I am totally on the same mailing list. On top of that, a particular survival gear prepper website is wearing me out with youtube ads!