so...being a zombie is totally feasible
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It was determined that the axe had missed the carotid artery and a clot had
prevented Mike from bleeding to death. Although most of his head was severed
, most of his brain stem and one ear were left on his body. Since basic
functions (breathing, heart-rate, etc.) as well as most of a chicken's
reflex actions are controlled by the brain stem, Mike was able to remain
quite healthy. This is a good example of central motor generators enabling
basic homeostatic functions to be carried out in the absence of the cerebral
cortex.[4]