Monster Month: Vampires

Monster Month turns up the spooky sex appeal as we talk about the hunkiest monster in Monster Town: vampires! 

What monster do you think is the hunkiest? Or how about least-hunkiest (sort of tricky! They can all be hunks in their own way)? Send us a tweet and let us know! 

Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! 

While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on Twitter: Stefan: @itsmestefanchin Ceri: @ceriley Sam: @slamschultz Hank: @hankgreen

If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:

[Truth or Fail]

Wireworms

https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/fieldcropsipm/insects/corn-wireworms.php

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1119566-overview

Vampire Ground Finch

http://blog.discoveringgalapagos.org.uk/vampire-finch/

Japanese Wild Boars

https://www.nal.usda.gov/fsrio/research-projects/silver-nanoparticles-pesticide-agricultural-applications#:~:text=Silver%20nanoparticles%20have%20received%20significant,resistance%20to%20existing%20chemical%20pesticides.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2136652/wild-boars-are-taking-over-japans-small-towns-and-residents-are

[Fact Off]

Blood battery

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160429095849.htm

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Scientists-create-bio-batteries-which-can-be-charged-with-human-sweat/articleshow/40198217.cms

https://futurism.com/blood-is-helping-us-make-the-next-generation-of-batteries

Tick traumatic insemination 

https://www.pnas.org/content/116/29/14682

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2011/08/immune-system-protects-female-bedbugs-traumatic-sex

https://phys.org/news/2019-07-female-bed-bugs-immune-stis.html

[Ask the Science Couch]

Teeth/beak/etc puncture

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/c/common-vampire-bat/

https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7242.html

https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/11/2/154/204658

https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb00583.x

Specialized mouthpiece straw

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/07/480653821/watch-mosquitoes-use-6-needles-to-suck-your-blood

https://web.natur.cuni.cz/parasitology/vyuka/LekEnt_CV/The%20Biology%20of%20Blood-Sucking%20in%20Insects.pdf

[Butt One More Thing]

Vampire bat poop

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/22/science/vampire-bats-blood.html

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-018-0476-8