You want some proof.. you got it..
Yale University ''Endogenous retroviruses contribute to the evolution of the host genome and can be associated with disease.'' The belief that being a vampire was caused by a disease dates back at least as far as the black plague. Making this far from being a new belief, and the black plague happened long before movies were even thought of. Meaning this is defnitely not due to the latest vampire movie, or any vampire or non-vampire movie for that matter. The claim that it is just an energy deficiency problem, dates back no farther than the movie ''Lifeforce'' which was created in 1985.
http://vector.bcm.tmc.edu ''endogenous retroviruses are a sub-category of oncoviruses that include the lentiviruses. endogenous retroviruses are negative single-stranded RNA viruses in which tRNA serves as a primer for the mRNA synthesis. The mRNA is then reverse transcribed into DNA, which is then integrated into the chromosome at a multiplicity of sites, particularly those that are transcriptionally active.''
The main reason behind why real vampirism isn't as widely believed as one would think, is due to a failure of the general public's' understanding of the endogenous retrovirus which for this website will be referred to as vHERV. A majority of the general public doesn’t believe, and do not want to believe, that human DNA can be altered in such a way to create such a being.
The term 'Real Vampire' for purpose of this site is going to be used as a medical term and therefore must be separated from the 'Vampire' myths, such as Dracula. A Viral Vampire is an infected human. Though the DNA in the host human has been greatly altered, the organism remains human in the medical sense, as the number of chromosomes have not been changed. The entire human race has the same number of chromosomes. The number of chromosomes is what separates humans and animals (except for those born with Down's Syndrome - these people have an extra copy of chromosome 21 but are, of course, human). It must be kept in mind that DNA can be altered in many ways. Many endogenous retroviruses can alter their DNA to become stronger and survive even more intolerable conditions. This is what happens with the human DNA with the vHERV endogenous retrovirus.
Technically the Real Vampire is still a human. However, for sake of discussion let us think of viral Vampires as non-human or as the next step in human evolution. This is difficult to believe because many of the attributes of a Real Vampire are considered far more developed than those of a human. Strength, speed, enhanced mental and/or psychic abilities, the ability to digest human and animal blood more efficiently are but a few of the differences. The reason this happens is the basic human DNA is altered by the endogenous retrovirus. The endogenous retrovirus, which we call vHERV, is NOT the same virus as HIV. To simplify, it is transmitted through a simple exchange of blood which can later be passed on either through birth or the more traditional way of an exchange of blood.
Through birth, the child inherits the retrovirus, passed on from the mother or father. The parent may have become infected with the endogenous retrovirus from some other member of their family such as a cousin, aunt, brother, etc., and thus the retrovirus is passed onto the newborn. Rarely are both parents infected, i.e., real vampires themselves. The passing of the endogenous retrovirus to the child from the parent produces a biological vampire child. The vHERV is passed onto the newborn much the same way the other seven endogenus retroviruses that separate humans from chimpanzees are passed from mother to child. Every normal human being all ready has ten endogenous retroviruses three of which are shared with chimpanzees. The other seven are only found in humans.
According to Yale university as well as other well respected universities these are the difference that make humans more evolved than the chimpanzee. In such a child, the endogenous retrovirus remains dormant until the catalyst of the onset of puberty. The release of hormones is believed to activate the endogenus retrovirus system. Meaning it really is not a stretch to say that introducing one or more new endogenous retroviruses to a human will cause them to become a vampire, in effect giving the vampire some definite new advantages.
The effects of the vHERV endogenous retrovirus then take a number of years during later childhood growth to become completely effective, i.e. active in the system from its previously dormant state in the child's body. In most cases, the child assumes that it is just the normal changes that happen to everyone during puberty, and generally thinks no more of it. It is also believed that the blood chemical make-up of the individual is also responsible in determining if the child will be fully affected by the endogenous retrovirus and thus DNA altered. (When the exchange of blood happens, the endogenous retrovirus adapts to the newly introduced blood chemical make up, which is what allows a real vampire to take on the strengths from the one that they have received the blood from, thereby allowing it to become compatible with the new potential host.) As with Inheritors, it takes traditional vampires a while to develop the full blown endogenous retrovirus after being infected. (Most of the changes happen within the first 3 days, roughly 70-80%. The remaining changes happen over the next few years.)
vHERV is closely related to many other viruses such as the common flu virus and the HIV virus. vHERV is not the HIV virus but works in much the same way when infecting the host. Another reason the reality and cause of vampirism in today's modern world is not more commonly known, is because many members of the public or medical establishment do not know of the existence of vHERV. Why do they not know of it? Because unlike the Ebola virus and the Black Plague which have been named and dated, vHERV in the scheme of the medical world is relatively new, and not deadly. That is not to say that it has just been stumbled across in modern times but it has existed in the shadows of humanity for a millennium without a definite name. vHERV has only been known for a relatively short time, many years to be sure, but in regard to other viruses, a short time.
It has been many years now that several doctors in several parts of the USA and Europe have known about and been actively studying the vHERV and its victims. These studies have been accomplished by long range, personal, and one-on-one research with these infected people.
Why so secretive?
The same reason as with any other discovery. Once released, the doctors and researchers will gain money, fame and reputation. Not to mention grants, and the licensing of new drugs, etc.
A few years ago, it was discovered that vHERV is related to the HIV virus. We began telling people then of an impending breakthrough in a vaccine for HIV. A vaccine for HIV was discovered from the link to the vampire endogenous retrovirus. During the month of June 1998, both NBC and ABC first gave the announcement of a new HIV vaccine.
Just prior to that release, the news announced a gene, newly discovered, that lengthened the life of a fruit fly by twice its normal life span. That gene, in an insect, was gained from gene mapping, isolating, and gene construction, and the same is possible and already being done with humans. Is it a coincidence, maybe?
