As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

blood

New Release / Giveaway: Blood Harvest – Meghan Schubert

by
Blood Harvest - Meghan Schubert

Meghan Schubert has a new FF paranormal book out: Blood Harvest. And there’s a giveaway. If you were losing your humanity, how hard would you fight to hold on to it? What would you be willing to do, to give up, to make sure you remained the human you were, rather than the demon you seemed to be turning into? Hope McKinley, former advertising student turned newly undead, finds herself wrestling with these questions and so much more. Blood Harvest delves into the depths of the human psyche and grapples with the struggle between light and dark in all of … Read more

NATURE: How Vampire Bats Survive on an All-Blood Diet

by
vampire bat

Vampire bats have an unusual, blood-only diet that’s high in protein but lacking in other nutrients. Now, a new study hints that “missing” genes may explain how the flying mammals survive on nothing but blood meals, lapped from their victims’ open wounds in the dead of night, The Scientist Magazine reported. In the new study, posted Oct. 19 to the preprint database bioRxiv, researchers compared the genome of the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) with those of 25 other bat species. The analysis revealed that D. rotundus lacks functional copies of 13 genes that appear in the other bats; these … Read more

Did You Know “Vampire Facials” Were a Thing?

by
blood face - pixabay

Last September, officials began investigating a spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for potentially exposing its clients to blood-borne infections through their “vampire” facials and other spa treatments. Now, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) has confirmed that two clients of the VIP Spa contracted the “same” HIV virus, according to a statement. This finding “increas[es] the likelihood” that the infections resulted from spa treatments involving needles, officials said. One such treatment that the spa offered is the so-called vampire facial, which involves smearing a person’s own blood across his or her face after the skin has been sanded down … Read more

FOR WRITERS: How Does a Vampire Get Wood?

by
vampire, werewolf - pixabay

FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Theo Fenraven: How is it male vamps can get erections when they are short of blood? Editor adds: How can any vampire of any gender get things “moving” without it? Writers: This is a writer chat – you are welcome to share your own book/link, as long as it fits the chat, but please do so as part of a discussion about the topic. Join the chat

SCIENCE: Real Life Vampires

by
blood cells - pixabay

Ben Franklin famously wrote: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” What he didn’t mention, despite being 83 years old, was a third, almost inevitable eventuality: ageing. Depending on when in history and where on the planet you look, ageing is variously considered desirable – bringing with it wisdom and status – or as something to be feared, eliminated, or at least delayed as long as possible. In the 16th to 18th centuries, Western societies believed old age was a time of considerable worth. But, since the 19th century, we have sought ways … Read more