<p>If you thought drinking alcohol was only a human vice, science has new evidence to show animals aren’t far behind. In a recent study, ecologists argue that since alcohol is found in almost every ecosystem, animals of all shapes and sizes—from primates to fruit flies—have been consuming it frequently. Animals that eat fruits or sip nectar are more likely to encounter nature’s bounty of booze than others.</p>.<p>So far, scientists have reported catching wild chimpanzees in Guinea bingeing alcohol on the sap of raffia palms, spider monkeys in Panama eating fermented yellow mombin fruits, elephants and baboons in Southern Africa devouring marula fruit and cedar waxwings crashing into fences and dying after eating over-ripe berries from the Brazilian pepper tree. </p><p>But the most interesting among these booze connoisseurs are the fruit flies: male fruit flies turn to alcohol when rejected by females, while females become less picky about their mates and mate more often after a drinking party. These tiny insects also seem to know the medical benefits of ethanol: they intentionally lay their eggs in substances containing ethanol to protect them from parasites, and when wasps parasitize the larvae, they consume more ethanol.</p>.<p>Although humans made wine only about 8,000 years ago, ethanol was abundant in nature around 100 million years ago with the evolution of flowering plants, which produced sugary fruits and nectar that yeast could ferment. The alcohol from these fruits isn’t as potent as bottled booze: most have only 1%-2% alcohol by volume (ABV), but some, like over-ripe palm fruits, could have levels as high as 10.2%, comparable to wine. In contrast, distilled spirits such as whisky have about 50% ABV. </p>.<p>Our primate relatives had a penchant for alcohol in their genes at least 10 million years ago: a critical gene mutation created the ADH4 enzyme, which helps digest ethanol up to 40 times faster. With rapid digestion, monkeys and apes can enjoy easy-to-find, calorie-rich, alcohol-laden fruits without being hungover. These fruits also have probiotics necessary for a healthy gut. The dopamine rush from booze perhaps also helps these animals relax and socialise. But do animals seek alcohol to get high, or is it in their dietary mix by accident? Researchers have yet to figure this out.</p>
<p>If you thought drinking alcohol was only a human vice, science has new evidence to show animals aren’t far behind. In a recent study, ecologists argue that since alcohol is found in almost every ecosystem, animals of all shapes and sizes—from primates to fruit flies—have been consuming it frequently. Animals that eat fruits or sip nectar are more likely to encounter nature’s bounty of booze than others.</p>.<p>So far, scientists have reported catching wild chimpanzees in Guinea bingeing alcohol on the sap of raffia palms, spider monkeys in Panama eating fermented yellow mombin fruits, elephants and baboons in Southern Africa devouring marula fruit and cedar waxwings crashing into fences and dying after eating over-ripe berries from the Brazilian pepper tree. </p><p>But the most interesting among these booze connoisseurs are the fruit flies: male fruit flies turn to alcohol when rejected by females, while females become less picky about their mates and mate more often after a drinking party. These tiny insects also seem to know the medical benefits of ethanol: they intentionally lay their eggs in substances containing ethanol to protect them from parasites, and when wasps parasitize the larvae, they consume more ethanol.</p>.<p>Although humans made wine only about 8,000 years ago, ethanol was abundant in nature around 100 million years ago with the evolution of flowering plants, which produced sugary fruits and nectar that yeast could ferment. The alcohol from these fruits isn’t as potent as bottled booze: most have only 1%-2% alcohol by volume (ABV), but some, like over-ripe palm fruits, could have levels as high as 10.2%, comparable to wine. In contrast, distilled spirits such as whisky have about 50% ABV. </p>.<p>Our primate relatives had a penchant for alcohol in their genes at least 10 million years ago: a critical gene mutation created the ADH4 enzyme, which helps digest ethanol up to 40 times faster. With rapid digestion, monkeys and apes can enjoy easy-to-find, calorie-rich, alcohol-laden fruits without being hungover. These fruits also have probiotics necessary for a healthy gut. The dopamine rush from booze perhaps also helps these animals relax and socialise. But do animals seek alcohol to get high, or is it in their dietary mix by accident? Researchers have yet to figure this out.</p>