Neanderthal cannibalism may have spread a type of mad cow disease which contributed to their extinction.
Shocking evidence found in a French cave in 1999 revealed that Neanderthals may have eaten each other. 100,000-120,000 year-old bones of 6 individuals were discovered at the cave and showed signs that they were defleshed an anvil was used to remove the marrow and brains.
It is not clear why Neanderthals may have eaten each other, however research based on modern human populations that practice cannibalism such as the Fore of Papua New Guinea, suggests that the relatives of the deceased, dismembered corpses because they believe their flesh was valuable.
The practice of cannibalism within Neanderthal populations gave rise to the spread of encephalitic disorders such as Mad Cow disease. The disease's often result in severe mental impairment, loss of speech and an inability to move. It is estimated that within a group of 15,000 individuals, such a disease could reduce the population to non-viable levels within 250 years.
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