Can humans and vampires coexist?
Credit: Colourbox
It sounds like a recipe for disaster (as the bloodsucking undead are known for their appetites) but statistical analysis shows potential for vampires and humans to live happily together.
Using a predator-prey model based on the behavior of literary characters, economist Wadim Strielkowski of Charles University in Prague made some surprising discoveries.
Metro: Would it work long-term?
Strielkowski: Yes, if you look at the mathematics of vampire patterns, absolutely there are scenarios where it is possible.
Is it possible to get accurate data from the stories?
The rules allow assumptions for time, such as in early stories we can estimate it takes 60 days to produce new vampires. We play with different scenarios – do they need to reproduce at a certain rate? What would be the impact of vampire slayers? Their drinking rate varies – from needing blood every week or month, to a modern version like [TV show] “True Blood” where they can control the need and coexist.
Is there evidence to support a natural balance between ecosystems?
Yes, vampires learn to hide from hunters, to the extent they could be among us and we would not know – they are afraid to be seen. If human population grows and the vampire numbers fall, then humans also decrease. Over the long-term both populations would go in waves of growth and decline.
What real world lessons are there from this?
The metaphor applies to migration which I have written a lot about: It explains how new communities adapt and survive as different species do, and there is even interdependence. Also, in a broader sense it reveals the resilience of human populations.
