November 19, 2009Brain-eating tribe enriches understanding of mad cow disease
November 19, 2009 Brain-eating tribe enriches understanding of mad cow disease Mark Henderson, Science Editor A cannibalistic ritual in which the brains of dead tribespeople were eaten by their relatives has triggered one of the most striking examples of rapid human evolution on record, scientists have discovered. In the middle of the 20th century the Fore tribe of the Eastern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea was devastated by a CJD-like disease called kuru, which was passed on by mortuary feasts in which the brains of the dead were consumed. Although the practice was banned in the 1950s and kuru...
Original Article: Forum: News/Activism
Tags: 1950s, 20th Century, Brain, Brains, Cjd, Eastern Highlands Province, Human Evolution, Kuru, Mad Cow Disease, Mad Science, Mark Henderson, Papua New Guinea, Relatives, Science Editor, Scientists, Striking Examples, Tribe