Mathematical Model Evaluates Risks of Cannibalism

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC—Science in Poland reports that Michał Misiak of the University of Wrocław and Petr Tureček of Charles University developed a mathematical model to evaluate the use of cannibalism in different societies. The practice is known to have been imbued with symbolic significance in ritual contexts, and to have been used in times of extreme famine as a survival strategy. “We looked at the human body as a potential food source, analyzing both the energy gains and the hidden costs,” Misiak said. “From a caloric perspective, a human proves to be an average meal, especially considering the difficulty of obtaining one,” he added. Problems include the risk of infection from consuming pathogens, and how the risk of disease rises when one cannibal consumes another. Cooking can reduce the load of bacteria and viruses, Misiak explained, but not the heat-resistant proteins known as prions, which can cause fatal neurological diseases. Cannibalism, the researchers determined, is only viable when hunger is extreme and there is a low cost in obtaining humans as food. When the practice becomes more common, the disease risks outweigh the nutritional benefits, leading to population collapse. This may have led to cannibalism becoming a taboo in many societies, the researchers suggest. “Taboos act as an evolutionary safety fuse,” Misiak said. “Our results suggest that this a biologically justified response to the growing risk of epidemics. Societies that did not restrict cannibalism simply did not survive,” he explained. To read about evidence among Neanderthals unearthed at a site in Belgium, go to "What Happened in Goyet Cave?"