Gene Mutations Linked to Ancient Cannibalism
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Gene mutations that protect some people from the brain-wasting illnesses kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may be evidence of ancient cannibalism, British researchers say. They suggest that cannibalism may have caused early epidemics of the two diseases, prompting the natural selection of people with protective mutations.
The team studied 30 women from the Fore people of Papua New Guinea who survived an epidemic of kuru between 1920 and 1950 and found that 23 had the protective mutation.
