Recently, scientists in New York and England located the gene for the carrot antifreeze protein and transferred it to another plant species, where it functioned properly. This opens the way for commercially useful crops to be genetically engineered to tolerate cold weather. For a brief period in the 1730's, areas of Eastern Europe, especially Hungary, were said to have vampires. Dr. Juan Gomez-Alonzo of Vigo, Spain, studied vampire legends after reading reports from the period claiming that vampires were real. The time period when vampires were said to be stalking victims immediately followed a major outbreak of rabies in dogs and wild animals in the same area.
Rabies is endemic in wild animals.
People become infected when bitten by or contact saliva from an infected animal. Transfer of rabies from one human to another by biting is very rare. The clinical symptoms of rabies can account for many vampire traits. Vampires were said to stalk women at night, have blood dripping from their mouths, and be adverse to strong odors and mirrors. People with rabies have insomnia, a tendency to bite, and a difficulty in swallowing that can lead to bloody saliva.