Answers needed

[Iroscato]

Think of it as an incidental evolutionary pressure, and when applied and its effects become apparent, there is a natural trend away from indulging in it. Much as killing someone's child will result in you having the shit murdered out of you by the parent, thereby removing you from the gene pool. Natural mechanisms that, when played out, result in a pattern forming.
I'm not a biologist so I can't really explain it better than that, but I think the gist of the point is solid enough.

Even more interesting :-). Do you think it matters that kudo usually came as a result of mortuary cannibalism (they weren't actually murdering anyone)? This reminds me of the discussion my anthropology class had last semester of the morality of mortuary cannibalism. Stimulating stuff! Lol the discussion not the cannibalism!

It is interesting, but my point wasn't that it's immoral per se, murder has nothing to do with it. Kuru may be one of the main reasons why cannibalism is, to quote Willy Wonka, frowned upon in most cultures. The observation that such practice caused the disease then leads to it becoming taboo. Morality itself probably didn't play a major part in the development of that idea, but came after the fact. There are many such examples found in society and nature, but due to it being 2:40AM here, I am rapidly forgetting how to brain.