Comments on: The Dangers of Eating Brain

By: T

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:31:34 +0000

I feel the need to make an addition to Liz’s comment. (11-25-2009 at 1:18 pm) She is right to stress that it is random mutations allowing natural selection, not people adapting to dangers introduced to their environment. The original G127V mutation would occur whether or not they ate brains, it just happened to be beneficial in this case and be passed on as a result.

I would argue, however, that to say that this is a ‘good example of evolution’ is a bit misleading to the layman. It is a good example of natural selection and the microevolution that follows as the population changes through that natural selection. Just a personal opinion that grouping micro- and macro- evolution into the same word can be misleading, though it is technically correct.

By: Liz

Liz — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:51:03 +0000

OOooo, I did not know that! Thanks for the interesting tidbit about how this practice could have come around.

reCaptcha – Brain special

By: charlie

charlie — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:24:39 +0000

well as a student of anthropology and firm believer in boasian cultural relativity…it should be mentioned that the fore cultural rite stems a great deal from gender inequality. one of the reasons that the fore are discussed in classes today has to do with an apparent gender neutrality in the culture. however at deeper levels the gender differences are very pronounced. the reason it is the daughters and wives that eat the brain is because they are denied pork, seen as the absolute epitome of fine dining, which is reserved only for men. as a protein necessity the ingestion of human tissue is practiced and only among women as they are seen as unfit to waste good pork on. just thought id share some other angles of fore culture

By: Tdave

Tdave — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:37:53 +0000

Cool! I now have a Thanksgiving Dinner Conversation Topic. :)

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:56:57 +0000

Yes and thank you and seconded to Liz.

By: Mia

Mia — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:34:38 +0000

It is not fair to classify a cultural rite as “morbid” just because you happen to be from a culture that disagrees with it. To the Fore this rite is far from morbid, it is a way to retain the memory and essence of their loved one beyond his or her death.

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:18:36 +0000

“This anti-kuru gene shows how the human body adapts to protect itself from impending danger. ”
No! Bad Mental Floss! This is not how evolution works! Your biology teachers would die of shame!

While this is still an example to how evolution works, it is not because the body is adapting to protect itself. Here’s a more likely hypothesis: Due random mutations, some one of the Fore tribe had the G127V mutation which protected them from kuru but this was not selected for until other members of the tribe began to die from kuru and we unable to produce more offspring. Kuru resistant members were able to produce more offspring due to their resistance, passing on the G127V mutation.

So, yes, this is a very good example of evolution, but through natural selection. Mutation don’t occur because there’s a need to protect the organism. Mutations occur through random chance.

By: Dru

Dru — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:51:04 +0000

I guess I’ll have to come up with a different menu for my Thanksgiving feast, getting kuru doesn’t sound very fun. Couldn’t you have written this one yesterday before I went shopping at the local morgue?

By: Will

Will — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:40:20 +0000

one danger eating too much brain: transforming into a zombie

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:29:08 +0000

BRAAAAAAAIIIIIINNNNNSSSSSS…..