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Fatal kuru epidemic and migration in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea
22 March 2024
In the most comprehensive genetic study of the people living in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea to date, researchers from Papua New Guinea and the U.K. revealed the complex population structure and migration patterns of the communities in the region.
The results, published聽in The American Journal of Human Genetics, lay the foundation for future research on the fatal disease kuru鈥攁 disease transmitted during traditional anthropophagic mortuary practices鈥� that devastated the area in the 20th century.
鈥淲e navigated one of the most complex landscapes possible in terms of geographical, cultural and linguistic diversity and set the scene for future genetic epidemiological work,鈥� said Liam Quinn, the paper鈥檚 first author at the University College London and University of Copenhagen.
Read the full findings in the