How Cannibalism Became Taboo
Nicola Twilley and Cynthia Graber Oct 31, 2017 Science
For most of us, it’s unthinkable: Human is never what’s for dinner. Sorry to burst any bubbles, but in this episode, we discover that not only is cannibalism widespread throughout the natural world, it’s also much more common among our own kind than we like to think. Spiders and sharks do it; so do both ancient and modern humans. So why it sometimes make sense to snack on your own species—and what are the downsides? From Hannibal Lecter to the Donner party, cannibals are now the subject of morbid fascination and disgust—but how did eating one another become such a taboo? Join us this episode for our Halloween special: the science and history of cannibalism!
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/10/cannibalism-taboo/544457/
