Comments on: What's the point of cannibalism? http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sun, 19 May 2013 23:33:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: jphilby http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092866 jphilby Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092866 It's bound to get you just the kind of nutrients you need. And it prepares you in case you wind up with an appendage in a trap. It’s bound to get you just the kind of nutrients you need. And it prepares you in case you wind up with an appendage in a trap.

]]> By: Daemon http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1093639 Daemon Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1093639 Eating your enemies makes more sense than killing them and NOT eating them. Though using them as fertilizer would have much the same benefit, with a lower risk of disease. Eating your enemies makes more sense than killing them and NOT eating them. Though using them as fertilizer would have much the same benefit, with a lower risk of disease.

]]> By: freshacconci http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092877 freshacconci Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092877 22 comments and not one making the most obvious reference? Well done. 22 comments and not one making the most obvious reference?
Well done.

]]> By: grimc http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092632 grimc Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092632 But you're going to end up with some pretty tough meat, full of hormones. Think organic and pampered--set up outside day spas for the Kobe beef of humans. But you’re going to end up with some pretty tough meat, full of hormones. Think organic and pampered–set up outside day spas for the Kobe beef of humans.

]]> By: Ed Ligget. Tuba. http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092637 Ed Ligget. Tuba. Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092637 Heh, I was just reading about the Church of Euthanasia and then I see this article. :D Cannibalism is one of the four pillars of the church I think. Heh, I was just reading about the Church of Euthanasia and then I see this article. :D Cannibalism is one of the four pillars of the church I think.

]]> By: freshacconci http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092893 freshacconci Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092893 Yeah, but wouldn't all that muscle be stringy? Maybe head over to Wal-Mart... Yeah, but wouldn’t all that muscle be stringy? Maybe head over to Wal-Mart…

]]> By: daen http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092895 daen Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092895 Absolutely. Our own feelings of moral disgust can tell us as much about our evolutionary past and present as they do about the nausea-inducing behaviour we are observing. Absolutely. Our own feelings of moral disgust can tell us as much about our evolutionary past and present as they do about the nausea-inducing behaviour we are observing.

]]> By: dancentury http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092648 dancentury Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092648 Good point. If time allows I'll put them on a diet of beer, and have my assistant massage them while reading Become What You Are by Alan Watts. Good point. If time allows I’ll put them on a diet of beer, and have my assistant massage them while reading Become What You Are by Alan Watts.

]]> By: Chorske http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092657 Chorske Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092657 The advantages of cannibalism have been studied for far longer than this article would suggest- in tiger salamanders, for instance. Tiger salamanders develop into one of two morphs, one of which is cannibalistic; it turns out that the cannibalistic morph grows and matures faster than the non-cannibalistic. The advantages are clear- as grimc points out, we are what we eat, and it makes sense to choose a diet that matches the composition of our own tissues as closely as possible. So why don't more organisms perform cannibalism? Perhaps to avoid negative intraspecific interactions, or to avoid eating kin. The work on the salamanders suggests that the cannibals get more debilitating parasites. This may be true of humans as well- as nemik points out with his link to info on Kuru. The advantages of cannibalism have been studied for far longer than this article would suggest- in tiger salamanders, for instance. Tiger salamanders develop into one of two morphs, one of which is cannibalistic; it turns out that the cannibalistic morph grows and matures faster than the non-cannibalistic. The advantages are clear- as grimc points out, we are what we eat, and it makes sense to choose a diet that matches the composition of our own tissues as closely as possible.

So why don’t more organisms perform cannibalism? Perhaps to avoid negative intraspecific interactions, or to avoid eating kin. The work on the salamanders suggests that the cannibals get more debilitating parasites. This may be true of humans as well- as nemik points out with his link to info on Kuru.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092658 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092658 Anyone who has had children understands why some animals eat their young. It's not just a joke; honestly, there are times... Anyone who has had children understands why some animals eat their young.

It’s not just a joke; honestly, there are times…

]]> By: Nicky G http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1093428 Nicky G Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1093428 I'm not sure what's more fucked up -- your anecdote, or the fact that it made me chuckle... I’m not sure what’s more fucked up — your anecdote, or the fact that it made me chuckle…

]]> By: Nicky G http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1093434 Nicky G Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1093434 I could swear that eating the brain/nervous system tissue of your own species is, like, really, really not so good for you. As in, prions and stuff. MAD COW DISEASE, MAN! I could swear that eating the brain/nervous system tissue of your own species is, like, really, really not so good for you. As in, prions and stuff. MAD COW DISEASE, MAN!

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092667 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092667 "Hamsters will eat their young if they perceive a food shortage, or if their diets do not have enough protein." I've seen cannibalism in domesticated rabbits. Spontaneous abortion is also fairly common. My theory is that both are triggered by overcrowding and/or food shortages, but others think it's caused by the presence of predators or humans too soon after birth. “Hamsters will eat their young if they perceive a food shortage, or if their diets do not have enough protein.”

I’ve seen cannibalism in domesticated rabbits. Spontaneous abortion is also fairly common. My theory is that both are triggered by overcrowding and/or food shortages, but others think it’s caused by the presence of predators or humans too soon after birth.

]]> By: Chorske http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092924 Chorske Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092924 A better question would simply be "what are the advantages of cannibalism to its practitioners?", and it is that biological question that I addressed in my response. The problem is that the question as aksed could also be interpreted as "what is the social significance of cannibalism" or "why are taboos against cannibalism almost universal in human societies"; those questions need to be distinguished from the purely biological "why is it (sometimes?) advantageous to eat your own kind?". As an aside, I was just reading an Aubrey-Maturin book (part of Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series) wherein some castaways eat a dead crew member (or at least gnaw on him a bit). I totally get that- I would totally do the same. A better question would simply be “what are the advantages of cannibalism to its practitioners?”, and it is that biological question that I addressed in my response. The problem is that the question as aksed could also be interpreted as “what is the social significance of cannibalism” or “why are taboos against cannibalism almost universal in human societies”; those questions need to be distinguished from the purely biological “why is it (sometimes?) advantageous to eat your own kind?”.

As an aside, I was just reading an Aubrey-Maturin book (part of Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander series) wherein some castaways eat a dead crew member (or at least gnaw on him a bit). I totally get that- I would totally do the same.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092925 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092925 Auto-cannibalism is not the answer, as sure as talking to yourself is the first sign of impending mental collapse. Auto-cannibalism is not the answer, as sure as talking to yourself is the first sign of impending mental collapse.

]]> By: ProfessoraV http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092703 ProfessoraV Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092703 tamarin monkey, not tamarind monkey. tamarin monkey, not tamarind monkey.

]]> By: kmoser http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092707 kmoser Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092707 "That makes it only the third recorded case of maternal infanticide recorded in wild non-human primates. Researchers can of course only speculate about her motivation ... They suspect the mother killed her baby because she knew it had a low chance of survival anyway." Er, if this was only the third recorded case of maternal infanticide, maybe it was because the mother was mentally ill. Given that she "only" ate from mostly the head and ignored the rest of the body, clearly she didn't need the nutrition. If the mother was sane, and realized the baby had a low chance of survival, she could have simply abandoned it. “That makes it only the third recorded case of maternal infanticide recorded in wild non-human primates. Researchers can of course only speculate about her motivation … They suspect the mother killed her baby because she knew it had a low chance of survival anyway.”

Er, if this was only the third recorded case of maternal infanticide, maybe it was because the mother was mentally ill. Given that she “only” ate from mostly the head and ignored the rest of the body, clearly she didn’t need the nutrition. If the mother was sane, and realized the baby had a low chance of survival, she could have simply abandoned it.

]]> By: holtt http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092455 holtt Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092455 Country Crock? Please - real butter makes it better. Country Crock? Please – real butter makes it better.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092968 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092968 Doesn't he know everything tastes better with Radium Brand Butter? Doesn’t he know everything tastes better with Radium Brand Butter?

]]> By: ill lich http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092717 ill lich Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092717 "What's the point of cannibalism?" Well duh, obviously it's "deliciousness." “What’s the point of cannibalism?”

Well duh, obviously it’s “deliciousness.”

]]> By: gnp http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092469 gnp Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092469 Reminds me of <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCdshepGguI#t=2m03s">The Reluctant Cannibal</A>, from the old British comedy revue of Flanders and Swann. Reminds me of The Reluctant Cannibal, from the old British comedy revue of Flanders and Swann.

]]> By: Shart Tsung http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092981 Shart Tsung Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092981 I think we could legalize cannibalism as long as the cannibals promised to only consume liposuctioned fat ftw. I think we could legalize cannibalism as long as the cannibals promised to only consume liposuctioned fat ftw.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092472 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092472 Tamarind is a tree. Tamarin is the primate. Cannibalization in trees! Astounding! Tamarind is a tree. Tamarin is the primate. Cannibalization in trees! Astounding!

]]> By: laukarlueng http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1093241 laukarlueng Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1093241 Soylent Green is people! PEEEEPLE!!! And economists have an answer for this behavior. It's called high time preference. Soylent Green is people! PEEEEPLE!!!

And economists have an answer for this behavior. It’s called high time preference.

]]> By: julianafanana http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092481 julianafanana Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092481 See? We all need to reconsider "A Modest Proposal" and this time without the satire. See? We all need to reconsider “A Modest Proposal” and this time without the satire.

]]> By: Antinous / Moderator http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092995 Antinous / Moderator Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092995 SpellCheck doesn't acknowledge that fact, which is probably why it's misspelled. SpellCheck doesn’t acknowledge that fact, which is probably why it’s misspelled.

]]> By: grimc http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092501 grimc Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092501 You are what you eat. You are what you eat.

]]> By: EeyoreX http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1093019 EeyoreX Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1093019 To be fair, a tamarind monkey would probably taste better than a tamarin monkey, at least when eaten raw... To be fair, a tamarind monkey would probably taste better than a tamarin monkey, at least when eaten raw…

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1092510 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1092510 Bite me! Bite me!

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/04/26/whats-the-point-of-c.html#comment-1093279 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1093279 hey- anyway to find out who the dude is in the picture? its a little creepy how much he and i look alike, perhaps twins separated at birth? hey-
anyway to find out who the dude is in the picture?

its a little creepy how much he and i look alike, perhaps twins separated at birth?

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