Study Finds Human Cannibalism Unsustainable Over Long Term

Researchers from the University of Wroclaw in Poland and Charles University in the Czech Republic used mathematical modeling to evaluate the risks and benefits of human cannibalism. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study notes that while human flesh can provide nutrition and even be life‑saving in extreme conditions, it also carries a high risk of disease transmission. The model shows cannibalism is only viable in limited scenarios—such as consuming cooked meat from deceased individuals who were not themselves cannibals—and that it cannot be sustained for human populations in the long term. “Model kami menunjukkan dengan jelas, kanibalisme tidak dapat dipertahankan bagi populasi manusia dalam jangka panjang,” said theoretical biologist Petr Tureček.