sure, thats what they WANT us to believe

[flibbertygibbit]

physicists prove vampires couldn't exist

[Panic Button]

I really didn't even know it was common to think vampires existed. They're interesting, and their evolution throughout folklore and literature (prior to the lame Twilight phenomenon) is pretty cool, but I didn't realize people could really convince themselves that vampires are real.

[J-Dog]

I'm pretty sure that this was all theoretical...

interesting, though.

[Clint_johnston23]

I like the ones in the Dresden Files.

[ZBsmaster]

Isn't this the same reasoning that suggests we should all be working for pyramid schemes right now?

[quintis]

I really didn't even know it was common to think vampires existed.

Vampires are essentially undeads. Belief in vampires stems from belief in afterlife. Since belief in afterlife is common, belief in vampires is also common as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Shi

[Panic Button]

Vampires are essentially undeads. Belief in vampires stems from belief in afterlife. Since belief in afterlife is common, belief in vampires is also common as well.

That makes sense. I'm sure there are plenty of people who could easily replace the word "vampires" in my first post with the word "God." Most faith-based beliefs probably do sound silly if you're not the one who believes in them. I didn't think of it that way.

[PippinTook]

That makes sense I suppose. However I believe in "the afterlife" so to speak, but do not believe in vampires. I always assumed vampires were the undead who still lived on earth and sucked blood and lived in coffins and crap. Hmm.

[ZBsmaster]

Why wouldn't you believe in Vampires? There's probably more evidence for them than there is for god. I mean, at least some animals have vampire-like attributes. Show me one animal with god-like characteristics.

[quintis]

I mean, at least some animals have vampire-like attributes. Show me one animal with god-like characteristics.

Most people do not consider leeches, mosquitoes and vampire bats as vampires. Maybe it's because these animals were too commonly seen.

[markteen]

Some people just write scientific-sounding papers over nothing important, simply to make themselves feel smarter.

*breaths sigh of relief*

WHEW, I'm glad these guys cleared up the vampire mystery for us! I was worried for a while, I've been spending my nights in dread. . .

[ZBsmaster]

*comforts* It'll be alllright now.

[Clint_johnston23]

Yes... Mark. Go to sleep now... Ve are nothing vithout our rest...

[theRazor]

M1tch posted this same thing on Facebook. The initial paper apparently makes an assumption that consulting vampire fiction should have called into question, namely that the vampires would allow vampirism to spread. "Feeding" isn't necesarily "turning" (Thirty Days of Night anybody?).

On a related note, there is a movie coming out that deals with precisely what the paper did, the food supply in a vampire run world. From the trailer, it looks very interesting: http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/daybreakers/

I mean, at least some animals have vampire-like attributes. Show me one animal with god-like characteristics.

Man? Christians believe that man is made in the image of God, while more than one atheist has claimed that God was made in the image of man. On either view there's a resemblance.

[ZBsmaster]

Even so, there are more examples of vampiric creatures than there are godlike ones.

[theRazor]

Probably true. If we focus on the infinite and “omni” traits then perhaps nothing is very like God.

On the other hand, if we use the number of species we know of that posses a trait as an indicator of the likelihood of something else with that trait existing, we get odd results.

[ZBsmaster]

Exactly my original point. I think. I'm intoxicated right now; go read my other posts and compare it all together.