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The raw film " Daybreakers , " which open Friday , is sic in 2019 , after a global computer virus outbreak has transformed most of the world ’s universe into vampires . This is not good news for the minuscule remaining universe of man , who become the lonesome beginning of blood . lamia are of class very popular in books and on the silver covert , especially recently . But are they tangible ?

The answer count on how literally you define " vampire . "

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Films such as Daybreakers are examples of the public’s fascination with vampires.

In the mainstream media and pop refinement , the vampire lineament is very tempting , with its element of superpower , Latinian language , mysticism , amativeness , andimmortality . give the lamia ' popularity , it ’s not surprising that here are many citizenry who exact to be vampires — often as part of the Goth - inspire vampire subculture .

the great unwashed are drawn to the vampire subculture for the same understanding they are draw to any subculture : for a signified of residential district of comparable - given enthusiasts . There ’s a wide variety of activities and levels of involution , from vampire - themed book clubs to orphic bloodletting rituals . Some hoi polloi wear mantle ; other have lamia fang dental implants . Most vampire enthusiast wage in harmless office - playacting , though now and then murderers with a fascination with the supernatural or vampirism will make the news .

Real vampires

A caterpillar covered in parasitic wasp cocoons.

As for real vampires , there are of course some parasitic animals that feed off the blood of other animals . Thevampire bat(Desmodus rotundus ) is an obvious example , but other bloodsucking vampires include the lamprey , tick , sponger , and distaff mosquito .

Humans actually consume line for sustenance is another thing .

A few the great unwashed take to on a regular basis pledge other citizenry ’s blood , and though the human digestive system is n’t well conform for digest blood , modest quantities of descent may be harmless and are merely broken down into protein , iron , and amino window pane . The genuine risk — assuming the lamia has a unforced donor — is of contracting stemma - borne disease .

a painting of a group of naked men in the forest. In the middle, one man holds up a severed human arm.

Psychic vampires

While comparatively few people exact to be true vampire , some arrogate to be " psychical vampires . " We all get it on people who can be difficult or emotionally draining , but that ’s not necessarily what " psychic vampire " are . Instead they are multitude who claim to debilitate or tap into the human consistence ’s latent " energy systems " ( what some call chakra or chi ) .

While this is an interesting idea , scientists and doctors have never been able to site or even verify the existence of this supposed " energy . " Since there ’s no evidence that the bodily or psychical Energy Department exist in the first station , there ’s no way to prove that a " psychic vampire " is in fact run out that energy . Any claims of " psychical vampirism " can likely be explain by imaging or playacting .

A painting of a Viking man on a boat wearing a horned helmet

That a important community of people consider that human vampire ( psychic or otherwise ) actually survive is not unusual ; after all , many masses also believe in the existence of angel , ghosts , Bigfoot , aliens , and other entities never proven real . Vampires , thankfully , rest safely between the covers of books .

Benjamin Radford is managing editor of theSkeptical Inquirerscience magazine . His book , films , and other projects can be determine on hiswebsite . HisBad Science columnappears on a regular basis on LiveScience .

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