Polish and Czech researchers warn cannibalism can spark deadly epidemics

Scientists Michal Misiak of the University of Wrocław (Poland) and Petr Turecek of Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic) used a mathematical model to assess the biological costs of cannibalism. Their analysis, published in the proceedings of a national academy, shows that while a human provides only average caloric value, the health risks increase exponentially as cannibals eat other cannibals.

The researchers explain that pathogens find a familiar host more easily, and cooking does not neutralize prions—misfolded proteins that cause fatal neurological disease. The model cites the real‑world example of kuru, a prion disease that devastated the Fore people of Papua New Guinea who practiced ritual cannibalism. "Taboo acts as an evolutionary safeguard," Misiak said, noting that communities that failed to curb cannibalism did not survive.

The study argues that the deep cultural taboo against eating human flesh likely arose as a protective measure against epidemics, reinforcing the view that cannibalism is a biological dead‑end.