Doomed Ship Crew May Have Resorted To Cannibalism

A doomed shipping expedition that took place 180 years ago may have ended in cannibalism, a recent analysis found. Two ships that left England in 1845, led by Sir John Franklin, possibly ended with the crew eating their leader near King William Island. Scientists from the University of Waterloo and Lakehead University analyzed DNA and cuts on the remains to draw this conclusion. “This shows that he predeceased at least some of the other sailors who perished, and that neither rank nor status was the governing principle in the final desperate days of the expedition,” Dr. Douglas Stenton said. (Study Finds)