Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

How Vampire Bats Evolved To Live On Blood Alone

Posted by samzenpus on from the I-vant-to-suck-your-blood dept.

New research has discovered some of the genetic changes that allowed vampire bats to live on a diet of pure blood. One of the bats' most important evolutionary traits is the ability to manipulate an anticoagulant protein in their blood and saliva. In humans similar proteins protect against heart attack by breaking up blood clots and clearing vessels.

15 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Simple Really by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Funny

    They just needed to pass the BAR exam.

    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:Simple Really by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oh c'mon, knock it off! As if bats don't have a bad enough image as it is :(

    2. Re:Simple Really by R2.0 · · Score: 5, Funny

      HEY - my wife's a lawyer! How dare you compare her to a bloodsucking...

      Nevermind.

      --
      "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
    3. Re:Simple Really by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 4, Funny

      If you're lucky, your wife is good at sucking...

      --
      Support my political activism on Patreon.
  2. Let's do some REAL science. by snowraver1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who care? What we all really want to know is how Batman evolved from human to hero. Are the tights the key?

    --
    Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. This comment may not be copied in any way including, but not limited to caching.
    1. Re:Let's do some REAL science. by Drooling+Iguana · · Score: 5, Funny

      That, and a steady supply of underage circus performers.

      --
      ... I'm addicted to placebos
    2. Re:Let's do some REAL science. by camperdave · · Score: 4, Informative
      1. Start with rich parents and a butler trained in combat medicine.
      2. Grow up on a diet of classic mystery novels, and masked vigilantes like Zorro
      3. Have a terrifying and traumatic event happen, like falling into a cave full of bats
      4. Get taken to a stage production of Zorro
      5. Have another traumatic event happen, like having both your parents shot in front of you
      6. Follow that up with years of schooling in chemistry, psychology, criminalistics, combat training, gymnastics training, demolitions, various martial arts, etc
      7. Buy/make all sorts of fancy weapons and climbing gear
      8. Put together a costume that will inspire fear and protect your identity
      9. Get a searchlight installed on the police station rooftop

      Really, this has been extensivly documented. Might I suggest starting with the graphic novel Batman: Year One

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    3. Re:Let's do some REAL science. by Chris+Burke · · Score: 4, Funny

      God damnit, so close and I'm stuck with this stupid butler trained in holistic medicine!

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
  3. Simple. by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


    "They live on blood because that's how God designed them!"
    Sarah Palin

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:Simple. by R2.0 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I swear, half of Slashdot is secretly hoping McCain wins, because if he loses, they won't have anything to post.

      --
      "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  4. Re:What it should be. by MBGMorden · · Score: 4, Funny

    How about they do something useful and give us immortality and the strength of 20 dudes and all the other cool abilities? Then I'll be impressed, oh yeah and none of the weaknesses.

    Hell I honestly think I could live with the weaknesses if it meant immortality.

    I mean seriously what do vampires have against them? An inability to interact with religious objects, an aversion to sunlight, no reflection, and they can't eat garlic?

    I'd bet that 1 and 2 aren't an issue for most Slashdotters anyways, and most probably don't care about their own reflection either (heck usually when I see mine it's a glare on my screen so if I didn't show up then all the better). The garlic thing might be an issue, but I'm sure me and Papa John's could work something out.

    --
    "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
  5. Re:What it should be. by reverseengineer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The NY Times had an interesting story last week about creatures that dine on blood.

    Apparently, most obligate hematophages tend to be very small- insects and such, because blood is not an ideal source of nutrition. In particular, blood has almost no dietary fat, so a large hematophage like a vampire bat, "must consume the equivalent of half their one-ounce body weight in blood every night or risk starving to death."

    Also, apparently blood is about 95% water, and so to keep from gaining too much water weight, vampire bats "urinate freely as they feed." That's a detail that seems to be missing from most vampire movies.

    --
    "FDA staff reviewers expressed concern about the number of patients who were left out of the study because they died."
  6. Re:What it should be. by R2.0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Or just make all the women look like Kate Beckinsale. Being bitten on the neck is a small price to pay for my wife having that body."

    Yeah, but you also get made into her slave and enter into a life of servitude...oh, wait...

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  7. Re:What it should be. by R2.0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "That's a detail that seems to be missing from most vampire movies."

    I'm sure Ann Rice covered watersports somewhere in her books.

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  8. how do they get away with it? by Khashishi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Mosquitos have stealth going for them, but I really don't understand how a bat is gonna feed on a mammal without getting beaten off. I mean, you can't really not notice a one-ounce hairy beast sucking on your neck and pissing on you at the same time. If a bat tried to feed on me, I'd pound it to a pulp.