Unearthing 550-year-old clues may reveal Dracula’s origins

Three scientists hope to find information about the origins and life of the man who inspired the creation of the vampire Count Dracula. This will be possible with a method they have developed that collects and interprets the biochemical traces of historical figures.

Gleb and Svetlana Zilberstein, born in Kazakhstan and living in Tel Aviv, Israel, met with Professor Pier Giorgio Righetti of Milan Polytechnic University to reconstruct historical figures from their genetic data, the duo told the British newspaper. Guard.

The methodology involves collecting genetic material found in saliva, sweat, and fingerprints that remain on documents a particular person has touched. In this case, they look for evidence in letters written more than 500 years ago by Vlad Drácula, who inspired the author Bram’s vampire character. Hoarder.

Also known as “Voivode the Impaler” was the Emperor of Wallachia in southern modern-day Romania and was known for his brutality against his enemies by tying their bodies to stakes.

According to scientists, traces of so-called “historical biomolecules” are analyzed for their composition and age. They also provide information about the individual’s health, lifestyle and nutrition, and even the environmental conditions of the place where they live.

In May, self-proclaimed “historical chemists” Gleb and Svetlana were in Transylvania to examine a manuscript written on August 4, 1475, to the people of Sibiu in modern-day Romania, announcing the emperor’s arrival. move to the city

With the analysis, the scientists hope to depict the molecular conditions of Vlad Dracula as he handled the letter, including data on “what he ate and what the atmosphere was like.”

Although they deny that they are planned as a date, it coincides with the 125th anniversary of the broadcast that gave birth to the vampire Dracula. According to The Guardian, Gleb recounted the dark events of that day.

“After the extraction of Dracula’s molecules, it rained all night, dogs howled and lightning flashed. It was a very magical atmosphere indeed. Count Dracula blessed his release from the Romanian archive,” he said.

The biochemical analysis method developed by the trio was previously used in the original manuscript of “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov. Gleb later said that they began “searching for George Orwell’s letter to Moscow” and found “traces of tuberculosis he contracted in Spain”.