Gregory's ServerI'm not sure what it is about these shifts that makes these situations hit harder. I imagine that part of it is that knowing that the people affected had a similar lifestyle to my own makes it more relatable. But also the fact that this is all about conflict means that this is all the result of human decisions. I guess that's applied to more famines in more remote areas as well.
Perhaps better news coverage is another factor here.
Meanwhile, I'm over here reading about starvation physiology.
From the 1940s Minnesota Starvation study:
"Contrary to the textbooks, heart muscle behaves much like skeletal muscle in starvation. In both acute and chronic undernutrition the heart shrinks in volume and in weight..."
Keys, A. (1948). CALORIC UNDERNUTRITION AND STARVATION, WITH NOTES ON PROTEIN DEFICIENCY. Journal of the American Medical Association, 138(7), 500. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1948.62900070006007