kgould's blog

You feel achy and sore, like every muscle in your body has been overworked or pulled. You can't focus; you've been having trouble sleeping and you wake up several times a night. It hurts to sit up in class, it hurts to move, and it hurts whenever someone touches your back or your shoulders. You've been experiencing mood swings and depression and, on top of all that, your stomach hurts. So what's the deal? It might be fibromyalgia.

      Vampire myths date back thousands of years and originate from many different regions, from Asia to Eastern Europe, and reach as far back as ancient Babylonia and Greece (1). They are demons, the undead, living off of the blood and flesh of other beings (most prominently humans). They can take the form of many beasts, most memorably the bat. Vampires are characteristically pale, burned by sunlight and deterred with holy water, with prominent teeth and a penchant for seducing their victims. The only way to become a vampire is to be bitten by one. They sleep in coffins and only come out during the night.  But what is the origin of this myth, of vampires? Is their origin rooted in biology? Are vampires “real?”