Sometimes, we humans let our dumb values prevent us from taking biological realities seriously.
Now, some scientists think that even cannibalism is worth another hard look.
Cannibalism naturally occurs in lots of species of insects, fish, and even mammals.
And despite our aversion to it as a so-called civilized species, cannibalism seems to serve a purpose.
Were not advocating that cannibalism is good, but instead that cannibalism is not automatically detrimental.
But they also can carry the exact pathogens that can get you sick.
But this is not necessarily true.
The team publishedtheir workin The American Naturalist journal.
The fall armyworm, for example, is a pest both in the United States and Africa.
But cannibalism can have potentially broad scale applications and impacts on biocontrol, he said.
If you dont understand it, you cant use it as a tool to manage pest outbreaks.
As a final note, you obviously shouldnt eat your neighbor.
However, Elderd would like people to take another critical look at how cannibalism works in nature.
It might yield some important scientific insights.
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