Are you someone who loves the Halloween season? Yeah, us too. Our focus for your weekend Halloween reads is vampires.
1) Last week, we ran an article about how surprising it is that vampire bats subsist on blood. Why it is so surprising? Because the nutritional value of blood isn't great.
2) So, how did the legend of vampires get started? One idea is that it's because our ancestors misinterpreted the decomposition process. Decomposing corpses can sometimes move body parts, make sounds, and blood can be forced out of the mouth because of a combination of environment and gases. Yeah, it's kinda gross, but definitely interesting.
3) Another potential source for the vampire myth? It might have been a misinterpretation of the condition, hereditary porphyria. People with this condition can have very white skin, their teeth can appear red/bloody in appearance, and they can be sensitive to light.
Where Are All The Indiana Vampires?
4) And while there aren't any famous Indiana Vampires, if you're a member of a PBS station, you can watch an episode of The Weekly Special about Indiana monsters. An ominous snapping turtle known as The Beast of Busco awaits you!
