American cannibals
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/05/skull-fragment-from-jamestown-settlement-suggests-starving-colonists-may-have-eaten-one-of-their-own/
Skeletal remains of a Jamestown teen show signs of cannibalism in
colonial America. The girl’s skull provides the first
concrete support for historical accounts that some starving colonists
had resorted to eating the flesh of others. Historical accounts state that people in James town, where only 60 out of 300 people survived, ate animals and even other people. Last summer, researchers unearthed part of a skull that belonged to a
girl from that time. The scientists studying the remains nicknamed her
Jane. In a study released May 1, scientists report evidence that her
flesh was removed after death.
Themes: Science is based on evidence
Science is collaborative
This is really weird to think about, but I'm not that surprised because when you don't have food like the colonists you find a way to survive, even if that means eating other people. It's amazing though how scientists are able to determine if people were cannibals just by somebody's skeleton.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting article. I read an article that Brazil has been linked to cannibalism. Specifically, 250 people were found to be cannibalistic in an Olinda slum. This is due to poverty and lack of police. It is interesting that cannibalism is still happening today and that it happened in Jamestown.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nbcnews.com/id/47077293/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/cannibalism-rare-today-it-still-exists/#.UYxHbbWsiSo
This article reminds of a similar case in North Korea during the late 1900's where a streak of cannibalism had engulfed the country causing a widespread crackdown on cannibalism in North Korea.
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