this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2024
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Science Memes

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top 43 comments
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[–] PrimeErective@startrek.website 107 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

Love that this suggests that for vampires, it's all in their head

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 75 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Loony Toons logic. You won’t fall until you realize you should be falling.

[–] TheRealKuni@lemmy.world 32 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

Love that this suggests that for vampires, it's all in their head

That’s what Terry Pratchett’s Carpe Jugulum tells us. With sufficient exposure and willpower vampires (or “vampyres” as this more modern variety calls themselves) can become immune to sunlight and holy symbols!

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 8 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Out of those 41 books, that one's a fav.

[–] TheRealKuni@lemmy.world 12 points 4 weeks ago

Man, they’re all a fav. I’m finishing up a full read-through, and until The Embuggerance every book seemed better than the one before it. Even after The Embuggerance they’re still excellent.

GNU Terry Pratchett

[–] BossDj@lemm.ee 2 points 4 weeks ago

Also a plot point of an older also amazing book (spoiler alert?)

!Richard Mattheson's I Am Legend. Not even close to the same as the movie!<

[–] sparkle@lemm.ee 3 points 4 weeks ago

Literally Charles McGill

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 64 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

However, it doesn't reflect everything. Maybe it's a particular part of sunlight that impacts vampires, one that gets absorbed by the Moon's surface.

[–] AngryPancake@sh.itjust.works 18 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)

I wanted to see for myself and it looks like the spectra of the sun and moon are fairly similar:

Moon: https://olino.org/blog/us/articles/2015/10/05/spectrum-of-moon-light/comment-page-1/

Sun: https://seos-project.eu/earthspectra/images/Solar-spectrum_th.png

Looks pretty similar I gotta say

That being said, the intensity is of course much lower of the light reflected from the moon.

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 0 points 4 weeks ago

"Similar" is not identical. I'm assuming that slight difference is technically where the vampire-harming properties lie (lore-wise).

Kind of like how Duncan MacDougall published a study that human souls have weight, as he recorded someone losing 21 grams at the moment of their death. Not very significant at all, but perhaps humanity lies in the subtleties...

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 9 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

Vampire hunters with IR blasters!

[–] ladicius@lemmy.world 3 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Would an older TV remote suffice? At least for very small vampires?

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 3 weeks ago

almost literally the plot of JJBA

[–] chatokun@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 4 weeks ago

Didn't Blade have some sort of UV gun in one of the movies?

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 53 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

What if vampires' non-reaction to mirrors is why reflected sunlight does not bother them?

If we can figure out the magic wavelength, we could take out vampires with flashlights.

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 18 points 4 weeks ago

Reminds me of the part in Bloodlines where you (a vampire) are captured and they run a series of tests, including shining UV rays on you (it doesn't do anything).

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 12 points 4 weeks ago

Seemed to work out for Blade.

I hear the Speedwagon Foundation uses intense UV.

[–] Cyth@lemmy.world 36 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

This is funny, but I think stereotypical vampire lore still stands. I think it's only direct sunlight that is an issue. If a vampire stands in a room with an open window, but off to the side, they're generally considered fine. If light reflected off a wall is ok then why is the moon not?

[–] gandalf_der_12te@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah, sunlight on clouded days doesn't hurt us either.

[–] Iron_Lynx@lemmy.world 5 points 4 weeks ago

Hush, mate! You trying to blow our cover‽

[–] AVincentInSpace@pawb.social 25 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

I love how this implies that sunlight only hurts vampires if they know that sunlight is supposed to hurt them

[–] vonxylofon@lemmy.world 14 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

It's Loony Toons physics.

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 weeks ago

The BBC series Dracula really explores this trope in a really interesting way. Worth a watch without spoilering anything.

[–] TheImpressiveX@lemmy.ml 22 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

My theory is that vampires can only handle sunlight in small doses, not when the sun is directly shining on the Earth.

[–] mycodesucks@lemmy.world 25 points 4 weeks ago

Huh... turns out I'm a vampire.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 3 weeks ago

i love the idea of london being infested by vampires since it's almost always overcast, and vampires going on holiday to the nordics in the winter

[–] pennomi@lemmy.world 11 points 4 weeks ago

Science: The poison is in the dose.

Language: It’s a good joke, I love it!

[–] lowleveldata@programming.dev 11 points 4 weeks ago

Why are nights cooler if reflected sunlight is just sunlight?

[–] gandalf_der_12te@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

But mirrored light does not affect vampires?

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 10 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)

We learned it like this at school:

Light beam bounces once or more, suck that victim dry, senor
Light beam bounces none or less, seek the curtains now, princess

[–] MJKee9@lemmy.world 6 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

Werewolf school didn't teach me shit....i mean they did teach me how to shit to properly mark my territory, but didn't use any fancy poems or nothing.

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 weeks ago

At least they let you guys outside. Imagine being told you need "sleeping lessons" where they lock you in a box all day

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 3 weeks ago

well now i want to see a fantasy school where they have werewolf choirs and barbershop quartettes

[–] tilefan@lemm.ee 6 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

also, from what I can find, it looks like the moon only reflects 1-3% of UV light back

[–] niktemadur@lemmy.world 5 points 4 weeks ago

Nerds saving lives, one vampire factoid at a time.

[–] 4oreman@lemy.lol 5 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] walden@sub.wetshaving.social 5 points 4 weeks ago

Everyone is saying it.

[–] tilefan@lemm.ee 4 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

count Dracula wasn't destroyed by sunlight, he just had weaker magical powers. during the day he could only change form at dawn, noon, and dusk, although he maintained that power throughout the entire night.

[–] BallsandBayonets@lemmings.world 2 points 4 weeks ago

But he's the OV (Original Vamp). According to Supernatural logic, the Alpha monster is immune or isn't affected as badly by weaknesses as converted monsters.

[–] CyberTailor@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago

He wasn't, but Count Orlok from Nosferatu (1922) was

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 1 points 3 weeks ago

I always head-canon that sunlight reflected off of moon rocks has some property that makes it not dangerous for vampires, sucks out the hamon or something.