Editor's Selections: Insect Munchies, Stunted Growth, Sabercats, and Crusading Cannibals

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Greetings from the snowy north! Here are my ResearchBlogging Editor's Selections for this week:

• You may get enough vegetables in your diet, but what about insects? Chris Grinter of The Skeptical Moth reports on the widespread consumption of butterflies and caterpillars in Mexico, providing readers with a look at some unique cultural culinary practices.

• Have you measured yourself lately? Jeremy Cherfas of the Agrocultural Biodiversity Weblog investigates how changes in our diet (partly linked to the rise in urban centers) have contributed to stunted growth.

• At Laelaps, Brian Switek asks whether sabercats really snacked on our human ancestors. Brian examines evidence from a recent publication, and convincing argues that this sort of predation was likely a rare occurrence. (Phew.)

• At The Gambler's House, the author discusses the different stories that can be gleaned from archaeology versus history--using the analysis of a single architectural beam as a springboard to discuss different interpretations of cannibalism during the Crusades.

I'll be back next Thursday with more research from the social sciences.